Carlos Gereda y de Borbón

Don Carlos Gereda y de Borbón, Marqués de Almazán, 49th Grand Master of the Military and Hospitaller Order of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem (Malta branch), was born on 24 January 1947 in Montevideo, Uruguay to Don Nicolás Gereda y Bustamante and his wife Dona María Luisa de Borbón y Pínto. He is the 5th great grandson of King Carlos IV of Spain (d. 1819).^[1][2]

Early life and pedigree

Don Carlos was born in Uruguay as his parents had moved there after the Spanish Civil War to care for a country estate they had inherited. His position within the Borbón family is established from the line of the Duke of Santa Elena, his grandfather, second in rank to the Duke of Seville, his cousin, both of whom are descendants of Charles IV of Spain, and Henry, Duke of Seville. This branch is considered second in nobility only to the Spanish Royal Family.

At an early age he returned to his native Spain before being sent to Ladycross Preparatory School in Sussex, England. From there he progressed to Downside Abbey, a Benedictine Public School. After completing his education at Downside he returned to Madrid to read Industrial Engineering at University.

On 15 February 1975 Don Carlos married Dona Maríá las Nieves Castellano y Barón Marquesa de Almazán (b. 24 Sept. 1947) acquiring the title of Marqués de Almazán which had been created by Philip II of Spain in 1575.

Career

In 1975 he began a career as a commercial development entrepreneur. This career path provided him with the opportunity to travel the world, from the Far East to South America and Central Europe. He and his wife, Blanche, lived in Buenos Aires from 1979 to 1986, where they established an Oil Services Company which is still in operation today. Don Carlos is currently involved in establishing a Museum of Science and Leisure in Malaga, Spain, which he hopes will be the most important of its kind in the Mediterranean.

Grand Master

In October 2008, at a Chapter General, Don Carlos was elected as the 49th Grand Master of the Military and Hospitaller Order of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem (Malta branch). He took the solemn oath in front of the Knights and Dames of the Order in Manchester Cathedral in England.^[3]

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