Louis Alphonse, Duke of Anjou

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Louis Alphonse, Duke of Anjou (Luis Alfonso Gonzalo Víctor Emanuel Marco de Borbón y Martínez-Bordiú; born 25 April 1974, Madrid) is considered to be the head of the French Royal House by legitimists who consider the renunciation of Philip V of Spain as invalid. They call him Prince Louis de Bourbon, and accord him the title duc d'Anjou (Duke of Anjou). As king, he would be Louis XX of France.

Pretender Louis Alphonse of Bourbon, Duke of Anjou Born April 25, 1974 (1974-04-25) (age 34) Madrid (Spain) Regnal name claimed Louis XX, King of France and Navarre Title(s) Duke of Anjou (disputed) Throne(s) claimed France, Jerusalem, Navarre Pretend from January 30, 1989 - present Monarchy abolished 1830 Last monarch Charles X Connection with third cousin, seven times removed Royal House Bourbon Father Alfonso, Duke of Anjou and Cádiz Mother María del Carmen Martínez-Bordiú y Franco Spouse María Margarita Vargas y Santaella Children Princess Eugenia de Bourbon

He is a great-grandson of King Alfonso XIII of Spain and first cousin once removed of King Juan Carlos I of Spain. He is also a great-grandson of Francisco Franco.

[edit] Historical background

His supporters usually call themselves legitimists, one of two claimant parties to the extinct throne of France. The term was originally applied to those who supported Charles X of France after his replacement as French King by his cousin, Louis-Philippe on August 9, 1830. Charles X and his eldest son, Dauphin Louis-Antoine, Duke of Angoulême, abdicated the throne, but Charles' supporters maintained that he was the "legitimate" king. Louis-Philippe had been Duke of Orléans so his supporters were called Orléanists. After the abdication of Charles X, some legitimists transferred their loyalty to his grandson, Henri, comte de Chambord. When Louis-Antoine died on June 3, 1844, his remaining partizans recognized the Count of Chambord as the rightful heir.

When the comte de Chambord died on August 24, 1883, most of the legitimists recognized Louis-Philippe's grandson, Philippe, Comte de Paris, as the rightful heir. Others transferred their loyalty to members of the Spanish Royal Family who were descended from Philip V of Spain, an uncle of Louis XV of France. King Philip (and Louis XIV, his grandfather) renounced his claim to the French throne as part of the treaties recognizing him as King of Spain. Some royalists regarded this as invalid; either as beyond the power of the King, or as exacted by force, or for other reasons. Luis Alfonso is the current claimant, in the view of this group. His supporters are called légitimistes or Blancs d'Espagne (Spanish Whites).

[edit] Life

Louis Alphonse was born in Madrid, the second son of Alfonso, Duke of Anjou and Cádiz, and of his wife Doña María del Carmen Martínez-Bordiú y Franco.

Prince Alphonse was at that time the dauphin according to those who supported the claim of his father, HRH Don Jaime, Duke of Anjou and Segovia, to the French throne.

On March 20, 1975, the prince Jaime (Jacques-Henri VI), Duke of Anjou and Segovia, died. Prince Alphonse became thus head of the French Royal House according to the legitimists. As such, he took the title Duke of Anjou. On September 19, 1981, the Duke of Anjou gave Louis Alphonse the title Duke of Touraine.

Louis Alphonse's parents divorced in 1982. The religious marriage was annulled in 1986. His mother has since remarried civilly twice; he has a half-sister, Cynthia Rossi.

On February 7, 1984 Louis Alphonse's older brother Francisco died as the result of a car crash. From then on, Louis Alphonse was considered to be the heir apparent to his father, according to the legitimists. As such, he was given the additional title Duke of Bourbon on September 27.

In 1987 the Spanish government declared that the title Duke of Cádiz would not be hereditary (as this title is traditionally attached to the Crown). As such when Louis Alphonse's father died, he did not inherit it.

On January 30, 1989 his father died in a skiing accident in Beaver Creek, Colorado. Louis Alphonse became "chef de la Maison de Bourbon" (Head of the French Royal House) and took the title Duke of Anjou. He is considered the pretender to the French throne.

Louis Alphonse studied economics at university. He worked several years for BNP, a French bank in Madrid. Although he regularly visited France, where his mother lived for several years, he continued to live in Spain.

His engagement to marry Venezuelan heiress Maria Margarita de Vargas y Santaella was announced in November 2003. They were married on November 6, 2004 in La Romana, Dominican Republic. None of the members of the Spanish Royal Family attended the wedding. Though no official reason was given, it is not a secret that the King of Spain does not like his cousin's claim to the French throne and the fact that Luis Alfonso signed the wedding invitation as Duke of Anjou did not sit well with the king.^[1] The couple have lived in Venezuela since 2005, where he works at Banco Occidental de Descuento.

Louis Alphonse and Margarita had their first child, a daughter, named Eugenia on March 5, 2007 at Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami, Florida. She was baptised at the papal nunciature in Paris in June 2007. French legitimists recognise her as Princess Eugenie of Bourbon; in Spain her name is Doña Eugenia de Borbón y Vargas.

In June 2006, Louis Alphonse refused to attend his mother's third wedding, because he does not agree with her way of life as a celebrity and her separation from her previous husband, a man whom he greatly respects.^[2]

[edit] Titles and honours

Louis Alphonse of Bourbon is the legitimist pretender of the French crown and would take the name Louis XX if reigning. He is currently the Head of the House of Bourbon, and holds the following titles of nobility:

• Titular Duke of Anjou
• Titular Duke of Burgundy
• Titular Duke of Touraine
• Titular Duke of Bourbon
• Titular King of France
• Titular King of Jerusalem
• Titular King of Navarre
• Head of the House of Bourbon
• Bailiff Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion of the Order of Malta

[edit] Ancestors

See also; Descendants of Louis XIV of France from which it can be seen that Louis is the senior descendant.

[edit] Notes

[edit] Bibliography

• Ardisson, Thierry. Louis XX. Contre-enquête sur la monarchie., Olivier Orban, 1986, ISBN 2-85565-334-7
• Apezarena, José. Luis Alfonso de Borbón: Un príncipe a la espera. Forthcoming.
• Opfell, Olga S. 'H.R.H. Louis-Alphonse, Prince of Bourbon, Duke of Anjou: Royal House of France (House of Bourbon," Royalty Who Wait: The 21 Heads of Formerly Regnant Houses of Europe. Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 2001. 11-32.

v • d • e Carlist Pretenders to Spain Senior Carlists Carlos V (1788-1845)  · Carlos VI (1845-1861)  · Juan III (1861-1868)  · Carlos VII (1868-1909)  · Jaime III (1909-1931)  · Alfonso Carlos I (1931-1936) Majority Claimants Javier I (1936-1977)  · Carlos Hugo I (1977-Present)  · Sixtus I (1977-Present) (Regent) Spanish Royal Claimants Alfonso XII (1936-1941)  · Juan IV (1941-1977)  · Juan Carlos I (1977-Present) (Current King of Spain) Legitimist Claimants Alfonso XII (1936-1941)  · Jaime IV (1941-1975)  · Alfonso XIII (1975-1989)  · Luis II (1989-Present) Habsburg Claimants Carlos VIII (1936-1953)  · Carlos IX (1953-1961)  · Francisco I (1961-1975)  · Domingo I (1975-Present)

v • d • e Pretenders to the Throne of France since 1792 Monarchy in Exile (1792-1815) Louis XVI (1792-1793)  · Louis XVII (1793-1795)  · Louis XVIII (1795-1814, 1815) Legitimist Pretenders (1830-present) Charles X (1830-1836)  · Louis XIX (1836-1844)  · Henri V (1844-1883)  · Jean III (1883-1887)  · Charles XI (1887-1909)  · Jacques I (1909-1931)  · Alphonse I (1931-1936)  · Alphonse II (1936-1941)  · Jacques II (1941-1975)  · Alphonse III (1975-1989)  · Louis XX (1989-present) Orleanist Pretenders (1848-present) Louis-Philippe (1848-1850)  · Philippe VII (1850-1870)  · Henri V (1870-1894)  ·  · Philippe VIII (1894-1926)  · Jean III (1926-1940)  · Henri VI (1940-1999)  · Henri VII (1999-present) Bonapartist Prince Imperial (1814-present) Napoleon I (1814, 1815-1821)  · Napoleon II (1821-1832)  · Joseph (1832-1844)  · Louis (1844-1846)  · Napoleon III (1846-1852, 1870-1873)  · Napoleon IV Eugene (1873-1879) · Napoleon V Victor (1879-1926)  · Napoleon VI Louis (1926-1997)  · Napoleon VII Charles (1997-present)  · Napoleon VIII Jean-Christophe (1997-present, disputed) Bonapartist Prince Canino (1832-1924) Lucien I (1832-1840)  · Charles (1840-1857)  · Joseph (1857-1865)  · Lucien II (1865-1895)  · Napoleon III Charles (1895-1899)  · Roland (1899-1924)