Infanta Alicia of Spain, daughter of Infante Carlos, Duke of Madrid

[Marc]

Can anyone tell me something more about Infanta Maria Alicia of Spain,daughter of Prince Carlos Maria of Spain and Princess Margherita of Bourbon-Parma?She married firstly to Prince Friedrich von Schoenburg-Waldenburg...I am also interested how it came to this marriage?And why him?Where there any other suitors?

[Grand_Duke]

Alice de Borbón, infanta of Spain

Born 1876, Died 1975

1st marriage: 1897, with Prince Friedrich von Schoenburg-Waldenburg

2nd marriage: 1906, with Lino del Prete


Children

1st marriage:
Carl, Prince von Schoenburg-Waldenburg

2nd marriage:
Margherita del Prete
Giorgio del Prete
Maria Cristina del Prete
Maria Beatrice del Prete
Maria Luisa del Prete
Maria Francesca del Prete
Francesco del Prete
Ernestina del Prete
Maria Valentina del Prete

[Eurohistory]

Infanta Alicia of Spain was born at Pau, in the Lower Pyrenees, on June 29, 1876.  She died in Il Cole, Bergecchia, Lucca (40 kilometres from Florence +/-), on January 20, 1975.

She firstly married Prince Friedrich von Shönburg-Waldenburg  (1872-1910) at Venice on April 26, 1897.  The marriage ended in divorce in 1903, being religiously annulled three years later.  The couple had one son, Prince Karl Leopold, who married twice, his second wife being a native of Moorea, in French Polynesia, and by whom he had at five children, three sons and two daughters: Marewa, Vetea, Tewa, Mihimana and Matahi.

Alicia entered a morganatic marriage with Lino del Prete (1877-1956), a Cavalry General in the Italian Army.  The wedding took place on June 3, 1906, a week after her first marriage had been annulled by the Rota Tribunal at the Vatican.

However, and to her family's great distress, being that they were such defenders of ultramontane Catholicism, alicia had already given birth to two children by Lino del Prete, Margherita, born in 1904, and Giorgio, born in 1905.  Seven more children were to follow after their 1906 wedding, the last being born in 1922, when Infanta Alicia was in her mid-forties.

Because of the scandal caused by the love affair with Lino del Prete, Alicia de Borbón remained stranged from her family for many, many years.

Arturo Beéche

[Marc]

Do you know how it came to marriage with Schoenburg-Waldenburg family(Friedrich)?Who was the matchmaker?

[Eurohistory]

No I do not...

But since the family lived in Austria as exiles, then I am not surprised that she married a Schönburg-Waldenburg, a prominent mediatized family in the Austrian capital.

Her eldest sister, Blanca de Borbón (1868-1949), had married Archduke Leopold Salvator of Austria-Tuscany (1863-1931).  

One sister, Elvira, also caused quite a stir when she started having children from an artist by the name of Filippo Folchi; while Alicia's remaning sister, Infanta Beatriz de Borbón (1874-1861), married Prince Fabrizio Massimo, Prince of Roviano and Duke of Anticoli Corrado.  Infanta Beatriz inherited from her great-uncle's estate, the Count of Chambord, the magnificent castle of Frohsdorf, home in exile of the French Royal Family.  Beatriz' daughter, Princess Blanca Massimo, who married the Count of Wurmbrand-Stuppach (a mediatized House), inherited Frohsdorf from her mother.  

Although the main house was sold some time ago, the Wurmbrand-Stuppachs continue residing in part of the Frohsdorf estate.

Arturo Beéche

[Marc]

How interesting...So,their exile was the reason for the girls married into ancient German families!Do you know some more interesting facts about her sisters,their life and their relation with the rest of their Bourbon family?

[Marc]

While reading Royal Musings I came across the article about the jewels being stolen from Princess Alicia...it seems she was the owner of the famous necklace designed for Queen Marie Antoinette which she didn't want:

http://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2014/03/princess-alices-jewels-are-stolen.html

http://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2014/03/more-on-princess-alices-stolen-necklace.html

Anyone knows more about the necklace she had?How did it come to her in the first place if Marie Antoinette refused to have it?

[grandduchessella]

I don't know for sure but I'd guess the following:

Marie Antoinette left one surviving child, the future Duchess d'Angouleme. Her nephew was the Comte de Chambord who seems to have been her main beneficiary. He died without children and his inheritance was left to his nephew, Robert I, Duke of Parma (son of Henri's late sister). However, Robert's sister may have also inherited some and it was her son who was the Duke of Madrid--Alicia's father.

Marie Antoinette--Marie Therese m.    Louis Antoine, Duke of Angoulême--(nephew) Comte de Chambord--(niece) Duchess of Madrid--Alicia

[Marc]

I don't know for sure but I'd guess the following:

Marie Antoinette left one surviving child, the future Duchess d'Angouleme. Her nephew was the Comte de Chambord who seems to have been her main beneficiary. He died without children and his inheritance was left to his nephew, Robert I, Duke of Parma (son of Henri's late sister). However, Robert's sister may have also inherited some and it was her son who was the Duke of Madrid--Alicia's father.

Marie Antoinette--Marie Therese m.    Louis Antoine, Duke of Angoulême--(nephew) Comte de Chambord--(niece) Duchess of Madrid--Alicia

I guess I would go by the same logic,but as far as I know Marie Antoinette never even purchased or accepted that necklace as a gift and that puzzled me...I have never known that after that whole affair,the necklace still found the way to royal family or it found the way to infanta Alicia,but not directly through Marie Antoinette,but maybe from some other member who later purchased it...

I know that later the necklace resurfaced somehow and that Prince Paul of Yugoslavia considered buying it for his wife Olga from some Eastern(maybe Indian or Iranian) Prince,but she considered it very odd...

[frohsdorf]

The diamond necklace in question was owned by Marie Antoinette and smuggled out of France in 1791.  In 1796, her jewels were returned to her daughter, Marie Therese, upon the girl's release from the Temple Tower and arrival in Vienna.  Marie Antoinette's jewels (including this necklace) remained in Marie Therese's possession until death on Oct. 19, 1851.  According to the terms of her will (July 1851) her jewels were to be divided in thirds between the Comte de Chambord, the Comtesse de Chambord, and the Duchesse de Parme.  The diamond necklace was left to the Comtesse de Chambord, who, in turn, left it to the Duchesse de Madrid in her will (1884).  Upon the Duchesse de Madrid's death in 1893, the necklace went to her son, Don Jaime.  He lent it to his sisters on occasion (which is why Princess Alicia is wrongfully described as the owner).  When Don Jaime died in 1931, the necklace was left jointly to two of his sisters --- Archduchess Blanca of Austria and Princess Beatrice Massimo.  The sister sold it at Sotheby's in 1937 to an Indian Maharaja.  That family sold it at Christies in 1971 -- at which point it disappeared from history.  Most believe that the 1971 buyers broke it up and sold the diamonds separately.