Victoria Eugenia of Battenberg, Queen of Spain

[Eurohistory]

Doña Victoria Eugenia, don Juan and doña María de las Mercedes are still in the Pudridero.

Alfonso XIII is in the Panteón de Reyes.

Arturo Beéche

[Eric_Lowe]

Thanks for the information. Ena was the grandmother of a king and not mother to one.

[Eurohistory]

Queen doña Victoria Eugenia as mother of HM the Late King don Juan III (king-in-exile) will be placed in the Panteón de Reyes, as will don Juan III and doña María de las Mercedes, wife of a King, mother of a King.

I believe that these are the last three remaining empty spots.

I do not know where don Juan Carlos and doña Sofía will be placed....but I imagine the decision must have been made already, particularly given the rapid deterioration of HM's health...he seems to have aged considerably in the last few years...which is awfully sad as he has been a phenomenal monarch.

Arturo Beéche

[Eric_Lowe]

We all age despite good health. It is a nice touch to put Ena with the rest, I heard an exception has been made for her case as the count of Barcelona never did reigned (the title is largely sumbolic than actual).

[Robert_Hall]

"sumbolic" How so?

[Eric_Lowe]

Because she was not the mother of a king, the Count of Barcelona never really reigned. He was the King in exile Juan III, that was only reconized by the royalists. When Ena cornered Franco during her visit for Felipe (now the Crown Prince)'s christening, she said now two heirs of Spain (Don Juan & Juan Carlos) are here, choose!" Franco replied "Everything will be as your Majesty desires.". Most likely Ena knew that the son rather than the father will be chosen as succesor to the dictator. She died soon after. Franco later declred Juan Carlos as sussessor. It opened up a period of unhappiness between Juan Carlos & his father. They were later reconciled.

[Eurohistory]

This story is hearsay. It has been repeated so many times that many take it as if it really happened, even there exists no proof.

Another version claims that doña Victoria Eugenia said, "ahora tiene tres, escoja." (Now there are three, choose!). But again...no proof...just hearsay.

Arturo Beéche

[ashdean]

Queen doña Victoria Eugenia as mother of HM the Late King don Juan III (king-in-exile) will be placed in the Panteón de Reyes, as will don Juan III and doña María de las Mercedes, wife of a King, mother of a King.

Arturo Beéche

Queen Victoria Eugenia right as the consort of Alfonso XIII will surely be the principal reason she is buried there.

[Eurohistory]

Not exactly...only Queens who were MOTHERS of a king or queen are buried in the Panteón de Reyes. She earned this right both as Consort of don Alfonso XIII and mother of don Juan "III" – the rightful King of Spain for Spanish monarchists during the interregnum posed between 1931-1975 (1978) by the Second Republic, the Civil War, the Franco Dictatorship and don Juan III's renunciation of Headship of House and Dynastic rights on his son don Juan Carlos, who from 1941 to 1975 was "Prince of Asturias" for Spanish monarchists.

Arturo Beéche

[Eric_Lowe]

That is what was being repeated. Unless it was refuted by someone who was actually there (like Don Juan or Juan Carlos), we cannot be 100 %sure what was being said in the close proxity between Ena & Franco. Indeed, according to the Monarchist, but Juan III did not reign for a day in Spain, so Ena's claim to be mother of a king was of course more academic than in actuality. However I am personal glad that she was included.

[Eurohistory]

So any clown can start a rumor and claim someone sad something, without proof mind you, and until proven to be NOT true...we accept it as FACT?

Seriously...this sort of nonsense only takes credibility away from those who rep[eat hearsay and try to pretend as if they actually know what happened...they were not there...you were not there either.

It's like everyone accepting what Nicholas II said to Alexander Michaelovich upon the death of Tsar Alexander III – we "accept" as truth the memoirs of someone who always wrote himself into the front line of a story...even knowing that he was prone to making his own reality.

Arturo Beéche

[Eric_Lowe]

The fact is that we don't know. To say it isn't so put you in a position that you would be saying "so you were there right ?". Also the books that quoted them were not "clowns" (many of the authors you know too...so I wouldn't want to insult any of them). The prudent thing to do as to say that such and such "alleged" to have happened and leave it as such.

I don't know a lot of people who doubted Sandro's story. If one takes "everything" with a grain of salt, you cannot believe anything since even writing can be forged...

Back to Ena.

[Keith]

From Ena s book by Pilar Eyre (awful book with awesome images!)

Do you have the name of the book?

[Carolath Habsburg]

"Ena, the novel". Dreadful book with some good images.

Eddie, yup, you re right ;-). Those were the first pictures of Ena as Queen of Spain

[Eric_Lowe]

The novel ? Was that fiction ?