Hi Camilo,
Where are the parents of King Juan Carlos buried? I really enjoy your posts and pictures.
Hi Chuchu, I am glad you like them.
King Juan Carlos's parents are interred at San Lorenzo del Escorial, which is the same Monastery where Queen Ena's remains rest (posted above). However, their bodies are located in a special place called "el pudridero" which is a room prepared to host cadavers until they are fully decompossed and the smell goes away. Once the decomposition process ends, they will be relocated at "The Royal Vault", following the will of King Juan Carlos.
DonnaK,
In a constitutional monarchy, the king does not need to be a great potititian or a remarkably bright person. Political decisions are taken by the prime minister. It would not matter if Queen Elizabeth was a genius or a dumb person. The responsibility and success of the government lies on the prime minister and parliament; that is the reason why governments may fall and monarchs will still hold their position.
Queen Maria Christina's was not particularly bright (she persecuted some of King Alfonso XII's friends and did not honour some of her husband's dispositions); during her period as regent, she just had to represent his son, King Alfonso XIII, in inaugurations and public acts; she neither did anything wrong nor anything bright. She was wise enough to have a good behavior and did not have lovers. Maria Christina was completely devoted to her children, which is commendable because she had plenty of sources and opportunities to have an "easy life".
Mostly, Maria Christina mistakes were in the bad preparation of Alfonso XIII to be a successful king, he was heavily overprotected by his mother. Although Alfonso XIII very well knew that he was a constitutional monarch, with no power over the government, he was raised with the conviction that he could do whatever he wanted, anytime he wanted with whoever he wanted, which was a big mistake. What Alfonso XIII did in supporting Primo de Rivera's dictatorship was the zenith of stupidity, which proved fatal for his dynasty. All over his reign, Alfonso proved he was ill prepared to be a king.
Zonk,
In my opinion Queen Ena continues to fascinate Spaniards because of her personal qualities and her impeccable behavior.
Like most peoples around the world, Spaniards do love and admire beauty; Spanish queens were never specially famous for their beauty. In Spanish history, Ena represents to Spain what Sissi and Diana represent to Austria and the UK respectively; a mix of beauty, unhappiness and tragedy. Queen Ena brought a breath of fresh air to the Spanish Court; she was a strikingly beautiful and vibrant young princess with charm, modern ideas and enthusiasm, as opposed to Queen Maria Christina and the other infantas who were monachal, plain or fat. Queen Ena also had a wonderful presence and an exquisite good taste for fashion, she was always the center of attention in every ball she attended (not only because she was the Queen). Additionally, she was simple, frank and straightforward. Ena cared a lot and was very close to her children (especially her daughters) and supervised their education. Though not overprotective, Ena was constantly and personally taking care of her 2 sons, especially when there were concerns about their health.
Queen Ena had to go through stages ever since she arrived in Spain. In the beginning it was easy. Then, she was criticized for being "too British", but she was always very proud of her origin (remember she grew up as part of Queen Victoria's household) and never negated it; eventually, the Spanish people understood that she did her best to become one of them, even though she came from the very center of the mighty British Empire. Ena did not like bullfighting (neither actual Queen Sophia does) but she attended the "Plaza de Toros", wearing the very traditional Spanish "mantilla", many times because she was very aware of her duties.
The Spanish people witnessed her pain and suffering as result of King Alfonso being a womanizer and the bad treatment the Queen received because her husband rudely abused her and publicly blamed her for the sickness of 2 of their sons as result of being hemophiliacs. Ena's behavior was impeccable, as she never used her influence to help friends or relatives; all her effort in the public arena was devoted to help the poor, via developing the Spanish Red Cross, where she was the main promoter.
Once in exile, her behavior continued being impeccable; she never had lovers and wisely administered her limited wealth in order to have a descent life in accordance with her status of ex queen. Ena was adored by her children and grandchildren and her villa in Lausanne was the main spot for family events, which she promoted with enthusiasm. On the other hand, King Alfonso spent most of his fortune in prostitutes, mistresses and parties. It was easy for the Spanish people to get conclusions after comparing both royals.
When Queen Ena went to Spain (for the last time) in February 1968, for the baptism of her great grandson Felipe, now Prince of Asturias, the Spanish Government wanted the event to be a private occasion; however, an overly enthusiastic crowd invaded the airport and the traffic was heavily difficult as everybody wanted a glance of the Queen. Ena stayed with her goddaughter, Cayetana Duchess of Alba; at some point the crowd surrounded the Duchess's palace and did not move as they wanted to see the Queen. The Duchess and the Queen decided to open the doors of the palace to allow everybody to enter and salute the Queen. The line was amazingly long and the Queen spent hours shaking hands with a multitude of persons who wanted to meet her. Even Francisco Franco acknowledged the big admiration of the Spanish people for the Queen.
Queen Ena died 14 months after her last trip to Spain; she had 7 children, 14 grandchildren and at least 37 great grandchildren.
