LETTERS Waiting in the wings
Sir: Simon Courtauld's interesting sugges- tions for alternatives to the present Wind- sor dynasty ('House to house inquiries', 2 January) omits one important, and possibly the best, candidate. The notional claim by Duke Albrecht of Bavaria as heir of the Stuarts is potentially defective, since his claim comes through his great-great-grand- mother, Princess Maria-Beatrice of Savoy Who, in contravention of British law, mar- ried her uncle, Francis IV, Duke of Mode- na. This may be considered to have ren- dered her issue illegitimate under British law if, as titular Monarch, she is regarded as British. Although her marriage received a Papal Dispensation, such a sanction would not have validated the marriage in Britain.
By excluding the descendants of this mar- riage, Princess Maria-(Mary II of Great Britain and Scotland) Beatrice would have been succeeded on her death in 1840 by her sister, Princess Maria (Mary III) Teresa of Savoy, married to Carlo H, Duke of Parma. Her heiress, and therefore present titular claimant, is Princess Maria (Mary IV) of Bourbon-Parma, aged 86, unmarried and living in Vienna with her youngest sister, Princess Cristina, also unmarried. The heiress presumptive to titular Queen ary IV is her next sister, Princess Alice, Infanta of Spain, widow of the late Infant Pea Alfonso of Spain, Duke of Calabria whose mother was the eldest sister of King Alfonso XIII of Spain). Princess Alice, aged 75, is still very active and a first-class shot; she has not visited England for many Years, however, and her English is some- what rusty. „ Her son, and eventual successor to the lliart claim, is Prince Carlos of Bourbon- Sicily, Duke of Calabria and head of the roYal house of the Two Sicilies, who is also Presently fourth in line of succession to the Panish throne. The Duke of Calabria, iaged 54, is active in many public causes and ,s administrative head as Minister Council- Of the four Spanish military orders of aantiago, Calatrava, Alcantara and Monte- csa, president of the most important Spanish b,!rholic Foundation and the Spanish Nianch of the World Wildlife Fund for var,nre. He is also hereditary Grand Master tile Sacred Military Constantinian Order a;iSaint George (and, as such, comes annu- l:0' to London for a ceremony of the thrlrish Association of this Order), one of e greatest Catholic military orders which kn_eludes among its members several well- :n°*11 British Catholics. Like both his par- ertsile is a first-class shot and has consid- tinau'e experience in the business world, sit- on the boards of several major Spanish ZillPanies; he is also multilingual, speaking rY good English as well as Spanish,
French and some German and Portuguese. As claimant to the Two Sicilies (Naples and Sicily) 'throne he is titular King of Jerusalem as well as Grand Master of the Order of Saint Januarius, still awarded today. His wife is Princess Anne of Orleans, third daughter of the Count of Paris, one of the claimants to the French throne. Of their five children, their only son Pedro, Duke of Noto, aged 24, is completing his university education, having already done his military service, while all but the youngest of their four daughters (aged 26, 25, 21 and 16) have full-time careers and are fluent in English, as well as Spanish and French. The Duke of Calabria is financially independent and, unlike their counterparts, neither he nor his family receive any public subsidy. With a future in the EEC and the present dynasty no longer intermarrying with Europe's royal families, one may spec- ulate that the Crown might be strengthened by a monarch with such an impeccable European pedigree (who isn't German either!). Such is the Duke of Calabria's respect for the present Queen, however, he is unlikely to agree to any claim being made on his behalf.
Guy Stair Sainty
7 East 89th Street, New York, USA
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