Remembering Queen Victoria Eugenia of Spain

On the 15th of April 1969, HM Queen Victoria Eugenia of Spain passed away, aged 81 at Lausanne, Switzerland.

A granddaughter of Queen Victoria, she was born at Balmoral in October 1887. In May 1906, she became the Queen Consort of Spain following her marriage to King Alfonso XIII. This union was an unhappy one, but the couple did have seven children, six of whom survived infancy.

Queen Ena, as she became better known, followed the Royal Family into exile in 1931 following the declaration of the second Spanish Republic. Her Majesty lived at first in the United Kingdom, France and Rome, Italy before she finally settled at a Chateau outside of Lausanne in Switzerland.

In 1938, she was present with the exiled Royal Family at the baptism of her grandson, Juan Carlos (the present King of Spain).

Queen Ena did return briefly to Spain in February 1968 to attend the baptism of her grandson, Infante Felipe, the present Prince of Asturias. The visit was caused a sensation with thousands flocking to see the Queen.

Sadly, Her Majesty died just over a year later, her remains were firstly buried at the Sacred Heart Church in Lausanne. In 1985, her grandson King Juan Carlos arranged to have her remains transported back to Spain and re-buried at the Pantheon of Kings in the Royal Crypt of the Monastery of El Escorial, outside Madrid.

Filed under Historical Royals, Spain, The United Kingdom
Tagged Anniversary, Biography, Death, Victoria Eugenia of Battenberg.

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