King Alfonso XIII was born on May 17, 1886. His mother was the former Queen of Spain and his father was the deceased King Alfonso XII. Because his father died before he was born he was considered King of Spain from the moment he was born. He grew up in and around Spain with his mother (she was an Austrian Princess) and his two sisters. In 1906 at the age of 18 he went searching for a bride. Hearing about the loveliness of the granddaughters of Queen Victoria of England he went to the court of King Edward (Victoria's son) he originally wanted Princess Patricia but since she was the daughter of Queen Victoria's second son and fourth born child she was considered too close to the throne to become Queen of Spain. Alfonso then hit on Queen Victorias 37th grandchild Victoria Eugenia. Bridging a communication gap by speaking French together, they fell in love and married in Spain on May 31, 1906. They were happy for a little bit, but the wedge that drove them apart was Victoria Eugenia's blood. Ena as Victoria was called had two brothers with a genetic disorder called hemophilia which affects how the blood clots. When Ena and Alonso's first child was born it was soon apparent that Ena had transmitted the disorder to their son. In a short time they had several other children, but never regained the intimacy that their early marriage had. One or two more children born to them had hemophilia, one of their sons became blind, and they had two daughters one of which transmitted the disorder further.

Alfonso tried to get his marriage annulled, but the Pope would not let him because of the number of children that they had together. He ruled Spain for the most part without the help of his wife, but in the 1930s Fransico Franco took over in Spain leaving the family to split up and he and Ena never saw each other again.

Happily after the death of Franco, Alonso and Ena's grandson Jaun Carlos became king of Spain.

Réception de sa majesté Alphonse XIII à Barcelone

The Marriage of Princess Ena and Alphonse XIII, King of Spain

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King Alfonso XIII

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