On This Day: The Duke of Anjou Marries A Franco Descendant

The family of Spain’s General Francisco Franco became officially linked to a branch of the country’s Royal Family, the Bourbons, when the General’s eldest grandchild, María del Carmen Martínez-Bordiú y Franco, married Alfonso, Duke of Anjou and Cádiz on March 8, 1972.

Their wedding took place at chapel of the Palacio Real de El Pardo. Alfonso and María del Carmen had two children, sons Francisco de Asís and Luis Alfonso, before divorcing in 1982. The bride wore a wedding dress designed by Cristóbal Balenciaga and a diamond and emerald tiara. Among their wedding guests were the future King of Spain, Juan Carlos, and his wife Sofia. 

Don Alfonso was a grandson of King Alfonso XIII of Spain and Victoria Eugenia of Battenberg through their second son, Infante Jaime, Duke of Segovia. He died in 1989.

María del Carmen is the heiress to the Dukedom of Franco, which was bestowed upon her mother, María del Carmen Franco y Polo, in 1975 by King Juan Carlos I.

Filed under Spain
Tagged Alfonso Duke of Anjou and Cádiz, General Francisco Franco, House of Bourbon, María del Carmen Martínez-Bordiú y Franco, Wedding Anniversary.

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