Tragedy of the Death of Juan Carlos's Brother Alfonso (1941-1956)


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Thank you Jose for your account. It was a terrible tragedy. I'm sure that the Countess lived with guilt and remorse every day until she died and always questioned why she had let her sons get the gun.
 
JSP said:
There was never any shroud of doubt that it was anything but an accident.

I've never heard the theory that the CoB was thinking of passing his rights to Alfonsito as he feared that JC was being dominated by Franco.
Besides, the CoB could not jump the succession line as it pleased him.

....
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Of course Franco never planned to bypass Juan Carlos in favour of his younger brother. The confusion might have arisen from the fact that in the 60s Franco did toy with the idea of naming another Alfonso - the grandson of Alfonso XIII, son of Infante Jaime and future Duke of Anjou and Cadiz, as his 'Heir', before designating Juan Carlos as the future Monarch.
(as a side note, for some time Alfonso's chances seemed more realistic as he was married to Maria del Carmen Martínez-Bordiú y Franco, daughter of Cristóbal, 10th Marquess of Villaverde and Carmen Franco y Polo, 1st Duchess of Franco - Franco's only daughter).

I agree that it was only a terrible tragedy, which undoubtedly marred the lives of everyone directly or indirectly involved in it.
 
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I think Don Juan behaved badly, abandoning the family when they were all so distraught, especially the Countess and JC. Those are the times you need family most.

Perhaps it is a revelatory look at the nature of their marriage (no wonder Sofia had some problems with her husband if these were his role models as to marriage).
 
What a terrible tragedy, I had no idea about this loss in the Spanish Royal Family. It does seem to me that so much time has passed, that it would not benifical to rehash this at this point. It wont bring back the dead.
 
JSP said:
I've often thought of the destiny of the two Infantas on those days, who were left alone, their father at sea, the mother in a psychiatric clinic, one brother dead and the other back in Spain to follow his studies...
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How sad for them. :ermm: How old were the girls at the time?
 
If you look at pics of JC after this tragic accident he looks like he has post traumatic stress disorder for years on end.Even at his marriage with Sofia there are vestiges of sadness and a vague look of bewilderment.
It is only recently that he has gotten rid of that 'look' he had about him. What would be the purpose to bring this up again? Would it bring Alfonso back ? No
JC has shown remorse and how. Case closed for me.
 
Is It Genetic?

Now we are told Juan Carlos' grandson has shot himself - accidentally again- in the foot. In like fashion the stories vary with the kind of gun involved - a rifle or a small bore shotgun.

Of course that might make a significant difference to the regal 'gait' if a small calibre bullet damage a toe or two, as opposed to the damage caused by a load of small shot at close range.

A difference this time is that the police are investigating a minor handling a firearm. At age 14 the princeling shouldn't have been using a gun.

Perhaps the Royals should wait until adulthood, or even middle age, before starting to handle firearms. But 'boys will be boys' at any age when it comes to 'playing' with guns.
 
I've read that the late Countess of Barcelona never fully got over the terrible tragedy on Holy Thursday 1956 that befell the then exiled Royal Family at Estoril.
 
What mother would?
The aftermath of such a terrible tragedy can never be fully overcome.
I imagine King Juan Carlos to be most affected though; the sense of guilt must be haunting him to this day.

As a child, I once accidentally pushed my elder sister out of the first-floor window of our house, resulting in a deep cut on her hand (38 stitches required); to this day, the incident makes me feel guilty. How the King must feel, knowing he killed his own younger brother - I doubt anyone can truly understand it.
 
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And now Elena"s son is at hospital for shooting his foot.....
JSP said:
There was never any shroud of doubt that it was anything but an accident.

I've never heard the theory that the CoB was thinking of passing his rights to Alfonsito as he feared that JC was being dominated by Franco.
Besides, the CoB could not jump the succession line as it pleased him.

It was indeed an unfortunate accident, and, on the first line, there is one person to blame:
The Countess of Barcelona.

The Count was a rigid man who had forbidden his sons to play with guns, namely inside the house.
The kids knew that he kept the gun in a locked cabinet and asked their mother the key.
With a certain reluctance, foolishly she agreed, and gave them the key.
While playing with the gun, JC accidentally fired it against Alfonsito.

The Countess was in deep shock when she heard the shot.

Don Juan ran to the room where the little Infant was already dead and made JC sware on the Bible that he hadn't done it on purpose (maybe that's the reason for the story told at the TV doc.).

In a rage, D.Juan left their house, Villa Giralda in Monte Estoril, sat on his car and drove to the cliffs in Cascais - Boca do Inferno "Hell's Mouth" - where he threw the gun to the ocean never to be found.

A couple of days after the funeral, he embarked with some portuguese friends on a yacht and cruised the Atlantic for some weeks.

Meanwhile the Countess was admitted in a psychiatric clinic in Germany as a result of a severe nervous breakdown.

I've often thought of the destiny of the two Infantas on those days, who were left alone, their father at sea, the mother in a psychiatric clinic, one brother dead and the other back in Spain to follow his studies...

José
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What a terrible tragedy for all involved and I can only imagine the far-reaching ramifications of causing your sibling's death. I would think that firearms would be treated with a healthy respect in the SRF and certainly not given to a minor to be handled. And this child is near in age to the Infante Alfonso when the Infante's death occurred.
 
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March 29th marked the anniversary of the tragic death of HRH Infante Alfonso of Spain in 1956.
 
You can't help feeling badly for Juan Carlos about this. If it had not happened, it's possible to wonder if he might not have made better choices and not be in exile again now. (And it might not have changed anything, but he would still have had his brother.)

I did not know their mother was involved. Yikes.
 
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Prinsara said:
You can't help feeling badly for Juan Carlos about this. If it had not happened, it's possible to wonder if he might not have made better choices and not be in exile again now. (And it might not have changed anything, but he would still have had his brother.)

I did not know their mother was involved. Yikes.
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I just read the full article; how was his mother involved? I only read that she stated that (she felt that) her life had ended as well; upon her eldest son most likely inadvertently killing her youngest son.
 
Somebody said:
I just read the full article; how was his mother involved? I only read that she stated that (she felt that) her life had ended as well; upon her eldest son most likely inadvertently killing her youngest son.
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From the account of another poster above, the Count of Barcelona kept his guns locked up and it was the Countess who gave the boys the key, which would add another layer to her stated sentiments. :sad:
 
I cannot help but feel heartbroken for Juan Carlos and his parents after reading that.

What a tragic, sad story.:sad:
 
Prinsara said:
From the account of another poster above, the Count of Barcelona kept his guns locked up and it was the Countess who gave the boys the key, which would add another layer to her stated sentiments. :sad:
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Thanks. The article that you seemed to respond to suggested that it was Juan Carlos' present (to the family or to Alfonso?) that he brought with him when he visited. The premise is that Juan Carlos and Alfonso had been practicing with the gun earlier in the day and Juan Carlos thought it was empty but tragically found out that it wasn't when he took out the gun from his desk and pulled the trigger when teased by his younger brother.

Juan Carlos was 18 at the time, so not a young boy who would need to ask permission from his mother. This seems even more unlikely since he had started his military training that same year.
 
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brucantuosi said:
It is very sad what happened then. I don't think King Juan Carlos killed his brother, I think this was an accident.
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Both can be true. I don't think Juan Carlos murdered his brother - although apparently their father Juan asked Juan Carlos to swear he didn't; so there was at least a shimmer of doubt in his mind. But the story that Alfonso killed himself while cleaning the gun is extremely unlikely to be true - especially given that the bullet entered his head between his eyebrows and exited just above his neck. So, the most likely explanation is that it was indeed Juan Carlos who killed his brother but never intended to do so. Nonetheless, he made one extremely stupid decision that killed his brother and changed the life of himself and his family forever.

Maura724 said:
How sad for them. :ermm: How old were the girls at the time?
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Infanta Pilar was 19 and Infanta Margarita 17.

Juan Carlos was 18 when it happened and Alfonso was 14 when he died.
 
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Somebody said:
Juan Carlos was 18 at the time, so not a young boy who would need to ask permission from his mother. This seems even more unlikely since he had started his military training that same year.
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This was decades ago, but surely the first things they impress upon you when you handle a gun are still "check if it's loaded" and "never point it at anyone unless you actually intend to shoot them"? Whatever JC's military training may have included, it doesn't seem to have covered the very basics of weapon safety, which would have drastically reduced the chances of this happening.

I can easily believe an irresponsible teenager would do this by accident; I can't believe a properly-trained adult would — especially not in the particular way it happened. Which may be why Don Juan had to make him swear it wasn't on purpose.
 
I cannot help but feel heartbroken for Juan Carlos and his parents after reading that.

What a tragic, sad story.:sad:
 
Just read a news article about a somewhat comparable situation that happened last year in the Netherlands; with ruling today. 5 friends were playing with a gun (while making videos about it) and one of them fired a shot at someone's head killing the other. While the judge is convinced it was an accident (as in not on purpose); the one who fired is sentenced to 24 months (8 suspended); the one whose firearm it was is sentenced to 18 months (6 suspended). The other 2 that participated in the 'game' were not sentenced.
 
The Infante was buried firstly in Portugal but in October 1992,the king had his younger brothers remains reburied at the Pantheon de Infantes at El Escorial near Madrid.
 
Are there any memorials to Alfonsito? He deserves more than never being spoken of.
 
Documentary on the death of Infante Alfonso:

 
On the death of Infante Alfonso, the Spanish Embassy in Portugal issued the following statement:
Whilst His Highness Infante Alfonso was cleaning a revolver last evening with his brother, a shot was fired hitting his forehead and killing him in a few minutes. The accident took place at 20.30 hours, after the Infante's return from the Maundy Thursday religious service, during which he had received holy communion.
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Funeral photos:
https://c9.quickcachr.fotos.sapo.pt/i/G7018312b/22283120_r3GAq.jpeg

https://c8.quickcachr.fotos.sapo.pt/i/G481779ee/22283110_EqVms.jpeg

https://c5.quickcachr.fotos.sapo.pt/i/G7e1717f1/22283108_NMSto.jpeg

https://c6.quickcachr.fotos.sapo.pt/i/Gf31721be/22283107_InEZ5.jpeg

https://c10.quickcachr.fotos.sapo.pt/i/G33173646/22283106_byCLZ.jpeg

https://c10.quickcachr.fotos.sapo.pt/i/Gf118d7fd/22283105_rw4sD.jpeg

https://c9.quickcachr.fotos.sapo.pt/i/Gd518c905/22283104_HvKZH.jpeg

https://c3.quickcachr.fotos.sapo.pt/i/Gaa174c9e/22283103_soA07.jpeg

https://c4.quickcachr.fotos.sapo.pt/i/Gaf186110/22283102_LViPB.jpeg

Cover and article of the Spanish newspaper ABC on the death of Infante Alfonso.
https://c8.quickcachr.fotos.sapo.pt/i/Gb617f135/22283101_ubZ04.jpeg

https://c4.quickcachr.fotos.sapo.pt/i/Gf317a251/22283099_ImlEU.jpeg

https://c4.quickcachr.fotos.sapo.pt/i/G35178970/22283096_Hw3fO.jpeg

Video:
 
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What an absolutely ghastly accident and I notice that it is covered up as a rule.
 
I really think one of the saddest things about it is that the king was never able to use his brother's name for any kind of memorial or charity that might have sincerely helped others and eased his own burdens a bit, even when he was legally immune.

I still wish he would, though I'm not sure it's occurred to him.

Perhaps Felipe will remember his uncle after JC dies.
 
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