Princess Beatrice of Bourbon

Princess Beatrice of Bourbon, Princess of Roviano (21 March 1874 – 1 November 1961)^[1] was the third daughter and fourth child of Prince Carlos, Duke of Madrid, the Carlist claimant to the throne of Spain and the Legitimist claimant to the throne of France, and Princess Margherita of Bourbon-Parma.

Princess María Beatriz Teresa Carlotta was born in Pau, France, during the Third Carlist War. Her mother stayed there at the time because of its proximity to the Spanish border. After the war was lost, Beatrice went to live in Paris with her parents and four siblings Blanca (1868), Jaime (1870), Elvira (1871) and Alice (1876). After the war, they lived in Paris for five years, until the French government banished them because of Carlos's political activities, in 1881.

Her parents separated around that time. Beatrice's father went to live in Venice, while Marghertia and the children went to live in the Tenuta Reale, the ancient Tuscan residence of the Dukes of Parma in Viareggio. Beatrice and her sisters attended the Sacre Coeur convent school in Florence. The children were very close to their mother, who had decided to place generosity and kindness at the heart of her children's education.^[2]

On 3 January 1897, aged 22, Princess Beatrice announced her engagement to the Italian nobleman Fabrizio Massimo, Prince of Roviano and Duke of Anticoli Corrado. They were cousins (specifically, Fabrizio was a half-first-cousin of her mother Margherita), and both descended from Beatrice's great-grandmother, Caroline, Duchess of Berry.

They were married a month later, on 27 February 1897, in Venice, by Cardinal Sarto, the future Pope Pius X. He would also marry Beatrice's younger sister a month later.^[3][4] Princess Beatrice was escorted into the chapel by her father, and her eldest brother, Prince Jaime^[5]. The new royal couple received over 200 telegrams of congratulations (150 of them from Carlist and 50 from sovereigns, royals, and nobility)^[5]. Among them, the Princess of Bulgaria, first cousin of Beatrice wrote :

"Bravo! I'm so happy for your well-deserved happiness: may God protect you both! I sincerely hope the new year starts well. Hugs - Maria-Luisa"^[5].

The couple lived in Rome, in the Palazzo Massimo alle Colonne, and had four daughters:

1. Donna Margherita Massimo (31 July 1898 – 1922), who married Count Emiliano Pagliano, who was an advisor at the Italian ambassy in Madrid.
2. Donna Fabiola Massimo (27 July 1900 – 1983), who married Baron Enzo Galli Zugaro, and had four children.
3. Donna Maria della Nieves Massimo (12 January 1902 – 20 June 1984), who married Charles Percy. She donated the heart of Louis XVII to the Royal Basilica of Saint Denis.
4. Donna Bianca Massimo (16 April 1906 – 22 January 1999), who married Count Paul von Wurmbrand-Stuppach (member of one of the Mediatised Houses), and had a child, Count Ernst Gundaccar von Wurmbrand-Stuppach (born 1946, current Head, after 1965, of this formerly Sovereign House).

On 5 May 1902, after a heated argument with her husband, Princess Beatrice attempted suicide by throwing herself in the Tiber river. She was rescued by the Roman municipal guard, who had been alerted by the cries of an elderly woman who witnessed the scene. The princess was taken to the Hospital of the Holy Spirit, where she received first aid. After giving her statement about what had happened, she was taken to the Palazzo Massimo alle Colonne.^[6]

Princess Beatrice became a widow in 1944. She finally died in Lucca, Italy, in November 1961. She was 87 years old.