Luís Fernando de Orleans y Borbón

Luís Fernando de Orleans y Borbón, Infante of Spain (November 5, 1888 – June 20, 1945) was a Spanish prince who lost his title.

Luís Fernando was born at Madrid, the younger son of Infante Antonio de Orleans y Borbón and of his wife, Infanta Eulalia of Spain. He was baptised with the names "Luís Fernando Maria Zacarias"; the name Zacarias is in honour of Saint Zechariah on whose feast day Luís Fernando was born.

In 1899 Luís Fernando and his older brother Alfonso were sent to England to be educated by the Jesuits at Beaumont College. [Bernardo Rodríguez Caparrini, "A Catholic Public School in the Making", "Paedagogica Historica" 39 (December 2003): 743.] They remained there until 1904.

On July 17, 1914, "The New York Times" reported the marriage of Luís Fernando to Beatrice Harrington. ["Prince Weds a Commoner", "The New York Times" (July 17, 1914): 4.] The newspaper was mistaken, however; the groom was actually Don Luís de Borbón, Duke of Ansola.

In October 1924 Luís Fernando was expelled from France. ["A Spanish Prince’s Bad Conduct", "The Times" (October 11, 1924): 9; "Alfonso Strips Prince Louis of Rights of Infante of Spain", "The New York Times" (October 11, 1924): 17.] He was purportedly involved in the trade of illegal drugs. In response King Alfonso XIII of Spain deprived him of his privileges as an Infante of Spain.

Unable to reside either in Spain or France, Luís Fernando moved to Lisbon. In March 1926 he was arrested at the Portuguese-Spanish border disguised as a woman. ["Seize Spanish Prince Disguised as Woman", "The New York Times" (March 26, 1926): 6.] Some smuggled goods were found in his possession, but no drugs.

In 1929 it was reported that Luís Fernando was engaged to Mabelle Gilman Corey, a Broadway actress and the former wife of William E. Corey, a steel magnate. ["Louis Ferdinand of Royal Family", "The New York Times" (June 23, 1945): 13.] The marriage never took place.

Marriage

In July 1930 an engagement was announced between Luís Fernando and Marie Constance Charlotte Say (August 25, 1857, Verrières-le-Buisson - July 15, 1943, Paris), the widow of Prince Henri Amédée de Broglie and the owner of the Château de Chaumont ["Princess Who Wed at 73 of Long Line", "The New York Times" (September 28, 1930): N5] . Luís Fernando was 41 years old, while Marie was 72 years old.

Marie’s nephew, François de Cossé, 11th Duke of Brissac, brought a lawsuit on behalf of her family before the Tribunal de grande instance of the Seine to try to stop the wedding. ["Proposed Marriage of a French Princess", "The Times" (July 26, 1930): 11; "Princess, 73, Pleads for Right to Be Happy", "The New York Times" (July 26, 1930): 4.] He claimed that his aunt was mentally incompetent. Marie claimed that she had thought about the marriage twelve years ago, but had delayed on account of her grandchildren. The court determined that a nephew had no legal right to oppose the marriage of an aunt. ["Proposed Marriage of a French Princess", "The Times" (July 28, 1930): 11; "Aged French Princess Wins Right to Marry", "The New York Times" (July 27, 1930): 14.] It appointed a commission of three doctors to investigate Marie’s mental state and confirmed a judicial administrator appointed on July 7 to manage Marie’s estate.

On September 19, 1930, Luís Fernando and Marie married in a civil ceremony in a London registry office. ["Princess, 73, Weds Prince, 41, in London", "The New York Times" (September 20, 1930): 11.] On October 4, 1930, they were married in a religious ceremony in the Cathedral of San Siro in Sanremo on the Italian Riviera. ["Royal Couple Wed Again", "The New York Times" (October 5, 1930): 29.] They had no children.

After their wedding Luís Fernando and Marie lived in Sanremo in a house given to Luís Fernando by his mother. ["Princess, 73, Weds Prince, 41, in London", "The New York Times" (September 20, 1930): 11.]

In February 1935 Luís Fernando was again expelled from France. ["France Ousts a Prince", "The New York Times" (February 17, 1935): 8.] He had been arrested in a vice squad raid.

Luís Fernando’s wife Marie died in 1943. ["Marie, Bourbon-Orleans", "The New York Times" (July 18, 1943): 34.] He spent the next two years in a Paris nursing home where he died in 1945. ["Louis Ferdinand of Royal Family", "The New York Times" (June 23, 1945): 13.] He is buried at the Eglise du Coeur Immaculé de Marie, 51bis rue de la Pompe, in Paris.

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