Alfonso de Orleans, Infante of Spain and Beatrice of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha

[Jim1026]

Do any of our posters have photos of Beatrice "Baby Bee" of Coburg her sister Alexandra in their "later years"?  I have seen several of Victoria Melita and Queen Marie but none of the other two.

[Eurohistory]

I know there is at least one biography of Baby Bee in the works as we speak...to be published in Spain by a noted royal biographer, who happens to be highly respected and hwo has been given great access by Alfonso and Beatrice's descendants.

They have asked Eurohistory for photos, which, of course, I gladly gave them access to.  But I do not have anything of Bee's later years either.  I saw some older photos of Sandra at Langenburg last year when visiting the Fürst and his sisters, but did not make any copies of these.

Arturo Beéche

[grandduchessella]

It could be because of the general bias towards 'not-so-famous' royals. Missy and Ducky have their own bios but since there having been major biographies of their sisters (though now I'm all excited to hear about Bee--maybe things are changing!) the pictures probably aren't released. You can see them when their younger because the 'Royal Mob' was well-covered in the pre-war eras but after that it rested a lot on fame. That's why I love Robert Golden's books--he focused on the less-covered royals. There are some photos in there of Sandra at least in the 1930s in groups. I'll see if I can scan them. I definitely recommend the books though.

Art--we hear so much about your photos, have you ever thought of doing photo books ala Charlotte Zeepvatt's? I'm sure you'd find a large, welcoming audience.  

[Marlene]

I know there is at least one biography of Baby Bee in the works as we speak...to be published in Spain by a noted royal biographer, who happens to be highly respected and hwo has been given great access by Alfonso and Beatrice's descendants."

And the Orleans family has a good photo archive, as I have been given copies of many of the photos of Baby Bee and her family. I've also provided said biographer through the family information in English on Bee.  I also have copies of Beatrice's art work on CDs ..   I recently helped in obtaining copies of letters between Bee and her husband and a historian - and one of the benefits is that I get to copy what I received and then sent the original copies to Spain."


I do have a nice photo of Alexandra in her later years that i got some time ago.

[Eurohistory]

Good for you...kudos!

I am looking forward to Ana's book on Baby Bee and the other book on the Orléans of Sevilla...they both should be great, although will most likely never  make it to publication in English sadly.

Arturo Beéche

[Marlene]

Good for you...kudos!

I am looking forward to Ana's book on Baby Bee and the other book on the Orléans of Sevilla...they both should be great, although will most likely never  make it to publication in English sadly.

Arturo Beéche

The photo was a gift from her grandson.  Yes, Ana's book will be lovely

[Eurohistory]

Ana de Sagrera's latest book, a biography of Queen doña María de las Mercedes de Orleans, first consort of don Alfonso XII, was fantastic.

Arturo Beéche

[TampaBay]

How did Beatrice meet her husband?  Was it a love match?

I thought she was madly in love with GD Michael of Russia.

TampaBay

[Eurohistory]

The Infante Alfonso de Orleans and Princess Beatrice of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha met in Madrid at the time of the wedding celebrations for King Alfonso XIII and Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg.

His financial independence also began that year when he came into control of the trust fund that the late Duc de Montpensier had setup for him at Coutts bank in London.

Alfonso proposed marriage to Beatrice noty long after the Spanish royal wedding, but was turned down on religious grounds.  But he persisted on his pursuit of Beatrice, encouraged by King Alfonso and Queen Victoria Eugenia.  In 1907 Alfonso and Beatrice were both guests at the royal family's palace in San Sebastián..the rest is history.

Arturo Beéche

[Marlene]

How did Beatrice meet her husband?  Was it a love match?

I thought she was madly in love with GD Michael of Russia.

TampaBay

Baby Bee is one of my favorite royals - She could not marry Michael because he was her first cousin.  She had a long and happy marriage with Alfonso, whom she meet at Alfonso XIII's wedding.  John Wimbles wrote a nice article on their wedding - and I did a piece on Baby Bee  - and both articles were published in Royalty Digest.

[PrinceEddy1864]

I thought that it was rumored that Baby Bee and King Alfonso XIII may have had a questionable relationship. Do you know anything about this? I can't remember where I read it.  :-/

[Eurohistory]

This rumor of Beatrice and Alfonso XIII has been ongoing for decades, but, again, without much proof, at least none that I have been privy to.

In 1909 when newspapers reported that Manuel II of Portugal was "courting" Beatrice, Alfonso de Orleans lost no time in arranging for his marriage to Beatrice, once he finished his studies at the Military Academy in Toledo.

King Alfonso XIII had expressed to his first cousin Alfonso de Orleans that he had no objections to the marriage.  From Toledo Alfonso went to Coburg, where he and Beatrice married at the Rosenau, in a mixed Catholic-Protestant ceremony, with the cavet that their children, if any were had, would be raised as Catholics.  Alfonso sent his cousin the King a telegram in which he said:


I have the pleasure of communicating to you that we have married civilly and in church.  I leave for Paris on Tuesday.  I hope you will allow me to serve our motherland and its King...

But the reaction of the King was the complete opposite to what was expected!

A telegram sent to all members of the Royal Family caustically read:

I have to announce to you, that the Infante Alfonso de  Orleans, having contracted matrimony. without my pemission, with Princess Beatric eof Coburg, by decree dated today, he is exonerated from the dignity of Infante of Spain, and all the honors and prerrogatives pertaining to it. Alfonso

Arturo Beéche

[Marlene]

This rumor of Beatrice and Alfonso XIII has been ongoing for decades, but, again, without much proof, at least none that I have been privy to.

In 1909 when newspapers reported that Manuel II of Portugal was "courting" Beatrice, Alfonso de Orleans lost no time in arranging for his marriage to Beatrice, once he finished his studies at the Military Academy in Toledo.

King Alfonso XIII had expressed to his first cousin Alfonso de Orleans that he had no objections to the marriage.  From Toledo Alfonso went to Coburg, where he and Beatrice married at the Rosenau, in a mixed Catholic-Protestant ceremony, with the cavet that their children, if any were had, would be raised as Catholics.  Alfonso sent his cousin the King a telegram in which he said:


I have the pleasure of communicating to you that we have married civilly and in church.  I leave for Paris on Tuesday.  I hope you will allow me to serve our motherland and its King...

But the reaction of the King was the complete opposite to what was expected!

A telegram sent to all members of the Royal Family caustically read:

I have to announce to you, that the Infante Alfonso de  Orleans, having contracted matrimony. without my pemission, with Princess Beatric eof Coburg, by decree dated today, he is exonerated from the dignity of Infante of Spain, and all the honors and prerrogatives pertaining to it. Alfonso

Arturo Beéche

Actually, two different wedding ceremonies - rather than a mixed service.  The King restored all titles, etc., not too long afterward.

[PrinceEddy1864]

Ok then I am not losing my mind.   There are/were rumors about Alfonso XIII and Bee being involved in somthing.

Ok I am now trying to understand the genealogy a bit her:
Bee's husband Alfonso was cousin to King A XIII because he was the child of his aunt Eulalia.

A breakdown:
Eulalia and Alfonso XII were both children of Isabel II.

Eulalia married Duke Antioine of Montpensier (of the Bourbon-Orleans family). There eldest  (?) was Bee's husband Alfonso.

Alfonso XII was obviosly the father of Alfonso XIII. Thus they were first cousins.

Ok I think I got that down. The Bourbons are so confusing, as they were so intwined and encluded many members of both the Spanish and French royal families.

[Robert_Hall]

Don'T forget the Italian branch, that will really make your soup bubble !