Princess María de las Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Princess María de las Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies

Infanta of Spain

The Countess of Barcelona, 1951

Countess of Barcelona

Tenure

8 March 1941- 1 April 1993

Born

23 December 1910
Madrid, Kingdom of Spain

Died

2 January 2000 (aged 89)
Lanzarote, Kingdom of Spain

Burial

4 January 2000
El Escorial

Spouse

Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona

(m. 1935; died 1993)

Issue

Full name
María de las Mercedes Cristina Genara Isabel Luisa Carolina Victoria de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Orléans

House

Bourbon-Two Sicilies

Father

Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies

Mother

Princess Louise of Orléans

Religion

Roman Catholicism

This is the coat of arms for Maria Mercedes as the Countess of Barcelona.

Princess María de las Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Countess of Barcelona (born December 23, 1910 – died January 2, 2000) was a Spanish noblewoman. She married Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona, who was a claimant to the Spanish throne. Her husband was the son of King Alfonso XIII of Spain. María and Juan had four children. Their second child, Juan Carlos I, later became the King of Spain.

Her Life Story
Special Honors
Images for kids
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Her Life Story

María was born in Madrid, Spain. Her father was Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, who was a Spanish Infante (a royal title for a prince or princess). Her mother was Princess Louise of Orléans. When María was born, she was given the high rank of an Infanta of Spain, even though she used the title Princess of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.

Her family later moved to Seville. When the Second Spanish Republic began, her family had to leave Spain. They lived in Cannes and then in Paris, France. In Paris, María studied art at the famous Louvre museum.

In 1935, she went to a wedding in Rome, Italy. There, she met Infante Juan, who was the brother of the bride. Juan was also her second cousin and would later become her husband. They got married in Rome on October 12, 1935.

When her husband, Juan, began using the title Count of Barcelona in 1941, María became the Countess of Barcelona. They had four children together:

Infanta Pilar, Duchess of Badajoz (born 1936 – died 2020)
Juan Carlos I of Spain (born 1938), who later became King of Spain.
Infanta Margarita, Duchess of Soria (born 1939)
Infante Alfonso of Spain (born 1941 – died 1956)

The family lived in different places like Cannes and Rome. When World War II started, they moved to Lausanne to live with Juan's mother, Queen Victoria Eugenie. After the war, they settled in Estoril, Portugal.

In 1953, the Countess represented the Spanish Royal Family at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in the United Kingdom.

In 1976, the monarchy was brought back to Spain, and her son, Juan Carlos, became king. María and her husband returned to Spain. She helped her son and husband get along, as they had been distant. In 1977, Juan gave up his claim to the throne in favor of their son. Juan Carlos allowed his father to keep the title of Count of Barcelona.

Later in her life, María had some health issues, breaking her hip in 1982 and her left leg bone in 1985. This meant she used a wheelchair for the rest of her life. Her husband passed away in 1993.

María loved bull fighting and the culture of Andalusia, a region in Spain. In 1995, her granddaughter Infanta Elena, Duchess of Lugo chose to get married in Seville partly because of María's love for the city.

María passed away from a heart attack on January 2, 2000, in Lanzarote, where the royal family was celebrating the New Year. She was buried with royal honors at the Royal Crypt of the monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, near Madrid.

Special Honors

María de las Mercedes received many special awards and honors during her life:

From Spain

Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III
9th Titular Grand Mistress and 1,171st Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Queen Maria Luisa
Dame of the Royal Cavalry Armories of Seville, Granada, Valencia, and Zaragoza.

From Other Countries

From the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies: Knight Grand Cross of Justice of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George
From the Greek Royal Family: Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Olga and Sophia
From the Sovereign Military Order of Malta: Bailiff Dame Grand Cross of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta
From the United Kingdom: Recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal