The sons of King Alfonso XIII and Queen Ena of Spain

The sons of Queen Ena and King Alfonso XIII of Spain: (l to r) Infante Gonzalo, Alfonso, Prince of the Asturias, Infante Juan and Infante Jaime. Haemophilia struck the Spanish royal family twice over, the gene inherited through Queen Ena's mother, Princess Beatrice, youngest daughter of Queen Victoria. Both the eldest, Alfonso and the youngest, Gonzalo were sufferers. With circumcision customary in the Spanish royal family, the diagnosis was made soon after birth. The news gradually resulted in a rift between Queen Ena and her husband, who never forgave Ena. Infante Jaime suffered double mastoiditis at the age of four and the resulting operation left him deaf, with his speech left undeveloped. The Prince of the Asturias renounced his rights to the throne to marry a commoner: he died in a car crash in 1938. Gonzalo had already been killed on the road in Austria four years earlier. The Spanish throne was eventually restored after General Franco's regime with the present King Juan Carlos, son of Infante Jaime

Alfonso Asturias Beatrice C1900 Circumcision Commoner Customary Deaf Diagnosis Earlier Eldest Eventually Francos Gonzalo Gradually Haemophilia Infante Inherited Jaime Marry Regime Renounced Resulted Resulting Rift Struck Suffered Sufferers Twice Undeveloped Xiii Youngest

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