Years go by and customs remain in the Spanish Royal House. And it doesn’t matter if the generations follow one another, because one of the most distinctive and controversial features of the Bourbons still stands: endogamy. Many members have carried out this practice despite the terrible end of Charles II ‘The Bewitched’, who died with a long list of health problems derived from his forced family tree. In 1700, the Habsburg dynasty ended up handing over the crown to the Bourbons, and they have adopted the same dynamic in their blood relations, beyond any risk or social judgment. The last example is embodied, in fact, by the very young Irene Urdangarin y Juan Urquijo, third cousins and, now, boyfriends.
Magazine Hola announced this Wednesday that Elena, the youngest daughter of Infanta Cristina e Iñaki Urdangarinhas been dating Juan Urquijo, brother of Teresathe wife of the mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez Almeida. It makes sense that both young people, she is 18 and he is 25, would be interested in each other given their social status. However, what is striking is that they are relatives: Irene’s grandfather is the king emeritus, cousin of Teresa of Borbón-Two Sicilies, of whom, in turn, Juan is grandson. That is to say, her grandparents are cousins, which, in reality, is not so strange. In fact, their families are delighted. “It’s not so surprising, because the Bourbons are related by many branches,” she tells Informalia the journalist Marta Cibelina, author of the book The Bourbons and sex.
The reality of the marriage of Don Juan Carlos and Doña Sofía
If we look back, the Borbón family has a curious history, starting with the reality behind the marriage of Juan Carlos I and Doña Sofía. “Queen Sofia and Don Juan Carlos are related, because he is the great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria of England, and Sofia is the great-granddaughter of Kaiser William II, grandson, at the same time, of the British monarch. We would say, colloquially, that Doña Sofía is the nephew of Don Juan Carlos.”explains the author, who shares more examples, such as that of Don Juan de Borbón, who was the third cousin of the Countess of Barcelona, or that of Louis I of Spain, great-grandson of Louis XIV. “He was married to Princess Louise Isabel of Orléans, daughter of Philip II of Orleans. She was the grandniece of Louis XIV of France on her father’s side and his granddaughter on her mother’s side. Her mother was Francisca María de Borbón, daughter bastard of Louis XIV of France and the one known as the poisoner of Montespan”.
Remember, in this sense, that “Fernando VII and María Cristina were also full uncle and niece, something that seems very disgusting, but is not as frowned upon from a genetic point of view as marriages between first cousins.” “Marriages between uncles and nephews were not frowned upon a while ago, but there was a time when you had to ask for permission”, he comments. “For example, Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon were second cousins and, according to the norms of the Catholic Church at that time, they had to request a papal dispensation to marry.”
A strategy after the divorces of infantas?
It is overwhelming to think about the number of intertwined genes that make up Bourbon roots, although there were those who challenged the norm. This is what is said about Isabel II, who had sought offspring outside the palace. “The Castilian queen and her first cousin, Francisco de Asís, bore the surname Borbón twice and up to six times consecutively. We must appreciate what is rumored about Isabel II, and that is that almost none of her children were hers. blood cousin. Thanks to it, the blood would have been renewed and something exaggerated would not have been reached,” Cibelina maintains, and presents one last case: “Isabella of Bourbon and Bourbonknown as La chata, was not the daughter of a king consort but rather the fruit of the love of Isabel II and the so-called Pollo Arana, José María Aranawhich was the cock that at that time was pecking at the most voluptuous queen of the Bourbons.”
Now, with Irene and Juan, history repeats itself, although the writer affirms that they do not run “big risks” at the genetic level: “Historically, there has been a dangerous inbreeding, but with the Urdangarin surname it is renewed“. Of course, it does not rule out that the perpetuation of “the old customs” could be reinforced by the love failures of the infantas Elena and Cristina. “They still want to return to this to avoid certain surprises that do not have to be genetic. For example, this way they avoid infidelities or people not tolerating certain situations. The infantas’ marriages have ended in divorce. Would it have been better if they had married a relative?”
Juan Urquijo, Elena’s boyfriend… and Victoria Federica’s ex?
The reasons behind this courtship can also be related to “economic or aristocratic endogamy.” “Irene is not going to marry a plumber, but someone of her level. Taking into account the experience that the mother has had, she is going to try to get the girl to associate with people of her style. Victoria Federica is also very influenced “Everyone thought he was going to get together with a bullfighter, because tradition has a lot of influence.” Curiously, Froilán’s sister was already linked to Juan Urquijo at the time, who gave him a pig for his coming of age. The rumors dissipated when it was revealed that they were cousins but, given what has been seen, it cannot be ruled out that there was something more between them. The writer states it: “In the Bourbons, being cousins is not an excuse.”
Do Felipe and Letizia want the same destiny for their daughters?
Will they want the same fate for their daughters Felipe VI and Letizia? Cibelina believes that the queen wants another path for Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía: “She would want for her daughters a cultured, intelligent person, ideally literate and with several careers. An easy person, with whom to live well; who Don’t be meek, but bring peace of mind. “I don’t think I want a Bourbon for them.”
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