Infanta Beatriz of Spain

Infanta Beatriz of Spain, Princess of Civitella-Cesi (Beatriz Isabel Federica Alfonsa Eugénie Cristina Maria Teresia Bienvenida Ladislàa de Borbón y Battenberg; 22 June 1909 – 22 November 2002) was a daughter of King Alfonso XIII of Spain and Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg, wife of Alessandro Torlonia, 5th Prince di Civitella-Cesi.

She was a paternal aunt of King Juan Carlos I.

Born at the royal palace of La Granja, San Ildefonso near Segovia, Spain on 22 June 1909, Infanta Beatriz was the third child among the six surviving children of King Alfonso XIII of Spain and Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg.

She was named Beatriz after her maternal grandmother, Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom, the youngest daughter of Queen Victoria; Isabel for her great-aunt, Infanta Isabel; Federica for Princess Frederica of Hanover in whose house her parents had become engaged; Alfonsa after her father; Eugenia for Empress Eugénie of the French, her mother's godmother, Cristina and Maria for Maria Christina of Austria, her paternal grandmother, Teresia after Empress Maria Theresa and Ladislaa after Ladislaus the Posthumous.

Infanta Beatriz was educated within the walls of the Palacio de Oriente by English nannies.

She learned English and French along with Spanish.

The children spoke in English to their mother and Spanish to their father.

Infanta Beatriz and her sister Maria Cristina, two years her junior, yearned to go to private schools like the daughters of the nobility who frequented the palace as their playmates, but, following Spanish tradition, they were educated by governesses and private tutors.

They studied languages, history, religion and took piano and dancing lessons.

Their parents placed great importance on outdoor exercise and Infanta Beatriz became fond of sports.

She was a very good swimmer, played tennis and golf and loved horseback riding.

While in Madrid she played in the palace gardens and made excursions on horseback.

In summer the royal family moved to Palacio de la Magdalena, near Santander, where they practiced water sports.

The two sisters also made some visits to England to stay with their maternal grandmother at Kensington Palace.

During the late 1920s, Infanta Beatriz and her sister Infanta Cristina presided at a number of official engagements while heading various institutions and sponsoring events.

They were involved with, among other issues, animal protection.

Beatriz and her sister took nursing classes, helping twice a week at the Red Cross in Madrid from 9 am to 1 pm and from 3 to 7 pm.

Beatriz was president of the Red Cross in San Sebastián, working there during the royal family's summer vacation.

The two infantas, always elegantly dressed, were of contrasting looks; one blonde one dark.

Beatriz, who resembled her Spanish relatives, was a brunette, tall and lean like her father.

She fell in love with Miguel Primo de Rivera y Sáenz de Heredia, the youngest son of Miguel Primo de Rivera, who served as Prime Minister of Spain from 1923 to January 1930 with dictatorial powers.

They were seen taking horse rides together, but a marriage between them was out of the question.

When the dictator found out about their romance, he sent his son abroad.

Because Beatriz and her sister could be carriers of hemophilia, like their mother, King Alphonso XIII was reluctant to follow the tradition of finding husbands for them among Catholic royal princes.

The two sisters' constant companions were their cousins Alvaro, Alonso and Ataúlfo de Orleans y Borbón, the three sons of Infante Alfonso de Orleans y Borbón.

It was expected that Infanta Beatriz would marry Alonso and Maria Cristina, Alvaro, but nothing came out of it as their companionship was interrupted when the turbulent political situation in Spain derailed their lives.

The support that Alfonso XIII gave to the unpopular dictatorship of Primo de Rivera discredited the king.

Her official debut in society was celebrated in 1927 with a court ball at the royal palace.

Among her friends were the Dukes of Alba, Fernán Núñez and Aveyro.

The shadow of hemophilia marked her life: Her eldest and youngest brothers were hemophiliacs.

Her second brother, Jaime, was deaf and only the third brother, Juan, was completely healthy.

In 1929, Infanta Beatriz turned twenty years old.

Municipal elections, held on 12 April 1931, were unfavorable to the monarchy.

The Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed two days later.

Lacking the backing of the military forces, King Alfonso felt obliged to leave the country the same day, but did not abdicate, hoping to be called back to the throne.

Infanta Beatriz, her mother and her siblings, except for Infante Don Juan, who was away on assignment in the Spanish navy, were left behind in Madrid.

Following the advice of her supporters, the queen and her five children left the Royal Palace by car to El Escorial, and from there, they took a train to France.

The royal family's first home in exile was the Hôtel Meurice in Paris.

They soon moved to a private wing of the Savoy Hotel in Fontainebleau.

Accompanied by their mother, the two infantas made visits to Paris twice a week by car or with a lady in waiting by train.