The Spanish press has recently carried reports about a Spanish man, about forty-seven years-old, who is trying to find his paternal roots. The gentleman, who is unnamed, was born in the 1970s to an unwed mother. The mother allegedly worked as a maid in the household of the man’s father, who passed away about two decades ago. After becoming pregnant, the mother was fired from her place of employment.
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| Almudena Cathedral in Madrid may hold the answer. |
The man was raised in Madrid. He now lives and works in Malaga. With the passage of time, this man has sought to discover the truth of his paternity. In 2017, his search led to a legal suit, in which the claimant is represented by lawyer Fernando Osuna. Now, a judge in Malaga desires the exhumation of the remains of the claimant’s putative father, who is said to be buried at the Catedral de la Almudena in Madrid. Reportedly, this gentleman was not his father’s firstborn child, so his recognition would not interfere with the transmission of any noble titles or inheritance that his father may have possessed and passed down to his offspring.
Only one individual appears to meet the criteria for being this man’s father…although, anything is possible, naturally.
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| The marriage of Infante José Eugenio of Spain, Prince of Bavaria, and doña Marisol Mesia y de Lesseps (1933). |
This individual would be don Fernando Juan Luís José Maria Santiago y Todos los Santos de Baviera y Mesia, who was born at San Remo, Italy, on 3 April 1937 as the first son and second child of Infante José Eugenio of Spain, Prince of Bavaria (1909-1966), and his wife doña Marisol Mesia y de Lesseps (1911-2005). Fernando’s paternal grandparents were Prince Ferdinand of Bavaria (1884-1958) and Infanta Maria Teresa of Spain (1882-1912); Fernando’s maternal grandparents were Don Fernando Mesia y FitzJames-Stuart, Conde de Mora, Duque de Tamames, and Marie Solange de Lesseps (1887-1943), who was herself the daughter of vicomte Ferdinand de Lesseps, the developer of the Suez Canal. Fernando de Baviera y Mesia was a great-grandson of King Alfonso XII of Spain (1857-1885) and his second wife Queen Maria Cristina(1858-1929; née Archduchess of Austria).
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| Don Fernando de Baviera y Mesia |
On 14 May 1966, Fernando de Baviera y Mesia married Sofia de Arquer y Aris (1941-2005) at Biarritz, France. The couple had one daughter, doña Cristina de Baviera y Arquer, who was born at Geneva on 7 February 1974.
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| The death notice of don Fernando de Baviera y Media, Borbon y Lesseps, Principe de Baviera (1999). |
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The resting place of don Fernando de Baviera y Mesia and doña Sofia Arquer y Aris at La Almudena.
Photograph (c) ABC / Ernesto Agudo |
Aged sixty-one, Don Fernando de Baviera y Mesia died at Madrid on 15 March 1999. His burial was privately held at La Almudena Cathedral, and his funeral took place on 8 April 1999. He was survived by his widow doña Sofía, his daughter doña Cristina, his mother doña Marisol, and his sisters, doña Cristina and doña Teresa.
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