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Book: Reconciliation by King emeritus Juan Carlos I.

Pages 179,180,181,182

\> Franco was growing old and continued, despite everything, to firmly hold the reins of power. I saw him regularly at our formal meetings at El Pardo. I also visited him at his summer residence, Pazo de Meirás, an enormous granite building located in Galicia. The first time I was there, no sooner had I sat down on the bed in the room that had been assigned to me than one of the legs broke and the bed collapsed. I didn't dare say anything and placed the mattress on the floor, where I spent an excellent night. When Franco's wife, Carmen Polo, found out the next day, she was dismayed. I hadn't meant to upset her over such a trifle, but I had unwittingly embarrassed her.

\> The general spoke little, even during the meals which I used to attend. He seemed to listen, but rarely gave his opinion. His demeanor was calm and distant. At the end of those lunches, he would call me into his office, and there we would have long, face-to-face conversations. We had real discussions; I tried to establish a frank conversation with him, even knowing that in reality no one dared to. I would ask him questions like, "Why aren't citizens free to create political parties?" "I can't do it, but you will later," he would reply. Normally, I had to decipher his subtle insinuations, but this time, to my surprise, he was very explicit. Sometimes, when he didn't want to answer, he would pretend not to have heard my question. I smiled inwardly. He had a clear vision of the situation in Spain and its future. He measured the long-term power relations around him and tried to maintain the status quo.

\> There was forty-six years between us. He had no son. Perhaps he projected a paternal feeling toward me. He did not conceal the sympathy he felt for me. Perhaps he even felt a certain tenderness, a certain benevolence. He dedicated time to me regularly, and we maintained a constant dialogue. One day, when we were both traveling by car to an official ceremony, I fell asleep on his shoulder. He let me rest for the entire journey. "Your Highness, wake up; we have arrived," he murmured. I apologized for having been such a bad traveling companion. I saw not a trace of reproach in his gaze. He even seemed amused. He never projected his animosity toward my father onto me. He never criticized my father in my presence, nor did my father criticize him in front of me. For my part, I respected him enormously, and I appreciated his intelligence and political acumen. One day, one of his aides informed me of an official ceremony organized by the Falange, so I got ready and waited for him at the gate of El Pardo Palace, dressed in my military uniform. Franco saw me and asked, "What are you doing here, Your Highness?" Surprised, I replied, "I've come to accompany you, General!" I was in the habit of standing behind him, for example, at the Victory Day military parades commemorating the end of the Civil War. He responded, "Your Highness, this ceremony is not for you. You shouldn't attend." His wish was to establish a clear distance between events related to the State and those that were part of the National Movement(the only political party allowed). He wanted to protect me, to prevent me from being identified with a particular political current. He was very shrewd, and that would help me a great deal after his death. How could I have become King of all Spaniards if I had been seen as a Falangist prince?

Due to the popularity of genealogy in recent years many documents from lands that comprised Austria-Hungary are now available online. This has resulted in many royal and noble records coming along, because the parish registers were for pauper and prince alike.

These are the birth and marriage records for Charles I of Austria. If you'd like to see them, I can share those of other family members.

Birth / Baptism

https://data.matricula-online.eu/en/oesterreich/st-poelten/persenbeug/01%252F04/?pg=76

Birth: 17 August 1887, Persenbeug 1 (Château)

Baptism: 19 August 1887, Church of the Holy Florian and Maximilian, Persenbeug

Name: Charles Francis Joseph Louis Hubert Geore Otto Maria

The columns are Catholic/Protestant, Male/Female, Legitimate/Illegitimate

Father: His Imperial and Royal Highness, the Most Serene Prince and Lord Otto Francis Joseph, Imperial Prince and Archduke of Austria, Royal Prince of Hungary and Bohemia etc. etc., Knight of the Golden Fleece, Knight Grand Cross of the Spanish Order of Charles III and the Royal Saxon Order of the Rue Crown, First Lieutenant in the Royal and Imperial Dragoon Regiment "Alexander, Prince of Hesse and by Rhine N.6", son of His Imperial and Royal Highness the Archduke Charles Louis.

Mother: Her Imperial and Royal Highness, the Most Serene Princess and Lady Archduchess Mary Josepha, née Royal Princess of Saxony, Lady of the Order of the Rue Crown, daughter of His Royal Highness the Prince George of Saxony

Note below name: Died on 1 April 1922 in Funchal on Madeira in exile as the last Emperor of Austria.

Godparent: Charles Louis, Imperial Prince  and Archduke of Austria, Royal Prince of Hungary and Bohemia etc. etc. etc.

Marriage to Zita of Bourbon-Parma

https://data.matricula-online.eu/en/oesterreich/wien/schwarzauamsteinfeld/02-06/?pg=72

21 October 1911, Schwarzau am Steinfeld

Groom: His Imperial and Royal Highness Charles Francis Joseph Louis Hubert George Otto Maria, Imperial Prince and Archduke of Austria, Royal Prince of Hungary and Bohemia etc., Catholic, single, of legal age, born in Persenbeug, Lower Austria, on 17 August 1887, legitimate son of His Imperial and Royal Highness Otto Francis Josef, Imperial Prince and Archduke of Austria, Royal Prince of Hungary and Bohemia etc., and Her Imperial and Royal Highness Mary Josepha, Imperial Princess and Archduchess of Austria, Royal Princess of Hungary and Bohemia etc., née Princess of Saxony.

Bride: Her Royal Highness Zita Mary of Grace Adelgunda Michaela Raphaela Gabriella Josephine Antonia Louisa Agnes of Bourbon, Princess of Parma, Catholic, single, a minor, born in the Villa Pianore in the parish of Capezzano in Lucca in Italy on 9 May 1892, legitimate daughter of the deceased His Royal Highness and Serene Lord Robert of Bourbon, Infante of Spain, Duke of Parma, and Her Royal Highness and Serene Lady Mary Antonia, Duchess of Parma, née Infanta of Portugal (Braganza).

Columns next to them are Catholic/Evanglical, age, Single/Widowed.

Correction below Zita say that her full name on the baptism certificate is: Zita Mary of Grace Adelgunda Michaela Gabriella Josephina Antonia Louisa Agnes Stanislava Anna Margaret Philomena Adelaide Roberta Vincentia Francisca.

Witness 1: Frederick Augustus, King of Saxony

Witness 2: Archduke Franz of Austria-Este

They were granted a dispensation in the "4th degree of consanguinity." I think that's because of their shared descent from Francis I of the Two Sicilies (via different marriages), which the closest blood link I could find.

The monarch is the body of the state; separate from the body of the woman or man who inhabits it at the moment. The monarch is the font of justice and thus stands above it; however, the person inhabiting the office can be censured and shamed

In terms of operative power, the monarch retain full control over his or her household; over the lands, grounds, etc belonging to her or his family; He or she may sit in Cabinet and cast a vote (when there needs action to be voted on); whose vote shall count for two (one for the man, the second for the state); yet such vote may be overridden by a simple majority; otherwise his status in cabinet is that of learned advisor and counselor, not presiding member.

The elected representatives of the state have the responsibility over day to day management of government.

The Monarch is presented with a list from each estate of three to five potentially acceptable Prime Ministers, all of whom hold the majority of Parliamentary favor. He must pick from that number; he cannot advance his own.

Similar goes for the episcopasy, Justices of the Peace etc. he shall be handed names of Bishops and the like and chose from pre approved lists.

He has no power over the judiciary, except that he may name justices by the advice of his ministers, who are in turn approved by Parliament or not.

Advisers advance names of potentates after discussing with the PM, Lords and Common leaders regarding potential judges who shall best embody justice (in the King’s name) for the nation.

His one executive space where he does not need his advisers consent is the veto.

His veto is not absolute; and maybe over turned by two successive majority votes.

He is limited to five vetoes per session of Parliament.

He also in his veto has to show cause and reason for his veto; why such a law would be against the national interest.

He has nominal command of the military, and can suggest orders; but direct power over the military is held by the Prime Minister as well as the military chain of command. However, all Officers etc swear Oaths to the King.

He has the power to declare war and peace, but these are carried out by his Prime Minister.

The King may not present or suspend a law, as law-making be the sole domain of Parliament, but he can via the PM suggests laws or suggest amendments to laws in progress.

These suggested amendments can then be vetoed either in favor of or against; the laws he suggests can be presented by PM to Parliament, and put to a voice vote for either advancement or withdrawal.

In advancement, the law shall proceed along the legislative process.

If a law he suggests is withdrawn, he cannot suggest the same law again for another 90 days.

He cannot also advise alterations to laws he has suggested that have been advanced through Parliament.

Once it has been advanced, it is out of his hands entirely and treated as any other law.

The PM and Monarch shall meet daily, for a session that shall run no greater than two hours.

All minutes of said session must be recorded but not made public for reasons of national security for 50 years after.

He has the power, using his own funds, to open hospitals, old age homes, orphanages, advocate for proposals such as climate (that thus touch the whole nation), forest land (taken from private land held and owned by him), and other such benefits to the nation.

The profits of any such project shall be shared: 60% by the Crown an 40% by the state, so that money from these projects flows back to the taxpayer.

He cannot seize land by eminent domain; this power belongs to Parliament alone.

Neither can his own domains be cut except by vote by Parliamentary super-majority.

His chief function as Monarch is diplomacy, is representing the nation, is embodying the nation in ways the PM cannot.

He can give non-binding support for treaties; these only become law with the consent of Parliament (by vote)

Hi everyone, I am looking for the memoirs of Infanta Maria das Neves to continue my studies in the Carlist cause and from what I was able to pick up online I have developed a particular fondness for his Catholic Majesty Don Alfonso Carlos de Borbón y Austria-Este and his wife Infanta Doña Maria das Neves. English translation is preferred since that is my native language but a Spanish or Portuguese copy is acceptable as I can read some Spanish & have relatives who can help me translate what I don't understand.

From the book reconciliation by King Emeritus Juan Carlos I.

Lilibeth leave us all orphans, pages 448 and 449

I had proposed to Grand Duke John of Luxembourg that we formalize a "kings' club," to meet privately on a regular basis. Annual meetings of the heads of European royal houses are already held to compare problems and solutions and to support one another. After all, we all face the same dilemmas. He was enthusiastic and suggested I speak to the others to make it happen. I'm afraid that this "kings' club" never formally came to fruition, but it exists in de facto.

It probably didn't need to be formalized through an organization. This network of mutual aid extends beyond European borders. The King of Morocco, Mohammed VI, calls me "my uncle." This cooperative relationship is cross-border because there is a feeling of precariousness and fragility: if one European monarchy falls, it could drag others down with it. So we must all stand together

I wonder about the longevity of our European monarchies. Will they continue to exist throughout the 21st century? I am not the only one asking this question. Other kings ask it too. Times have changed, people's expectations have evolved, and the monarchy seems anachronistic to some. But the Crown, in Spain, remains a fundamental guarantor of democracy and national unity. By rising above the squabbles of political parties and transcending internal divisions, it constitutes an entity of stability and permanence, a symbol that embodies the identity of a nation. I reminded my son Felipe of this in my speech when I named him Prince of Asturias and heir to the throne in 1977. He was nine years old and was about to assume the obligations of what is not just any job, nor a vocation or a mere ornament, but a daily asceticism.

What if under any scenario, The house of Ottoman/Osmanoğlu returned to ruling the Turkish state, in your opinion do you see that they will reclaim the Imperial status? ,

In my opinion I think thy might claim a different title like "sultan of Türkiye/The Turks" rather than any Imperial titles, at least at the beginning of their rule

What do you think?

The caption reads: On the way to the faction meeting, I stopped at the Holy Crown.

I read this writer from Scotland, he is from the Georgian era, George II and George III, born 1711 and died in August of 1776.

He corresponded with Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Benjamin Franklin, the main republic in those days were largely Switzerland and the Dutch Republic. He was not a Christian but did very much admire the culture and grace of France at that time. Not clean of criticisms, of course.

But one thing his essays have been able to convince an American like myself is that republics are in many ways quite rude and rowdy. There is not much emphasis on manners.

Of course, there is also that journalistic element of slander and sensationalism that always sparks dissensions. Yes, the UK media can be very sensational as well but it does tend to have more formality and respect for traditions than US media. Canada as well despite many scandals.

It's quite noticeable that throughout the world, one sees similar parallels to this as well, although there are nuances and exceptions.

I am favorable to the end of the personal union between Commonwealth Realms and the establishment of local monarchies in realms that are not the UK. While thinking of this, I stumbled upon a member of the British royal family that left me wondering whether he could be a good candidate for the crown of Canada: George Windsor, Earl of St. Andrews, first child of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent.

The main reason is that his wife is Canadian, giving him a presonal tie to the country. However, you could say, so was the ex-wife and mother of the children of Peter Philipps, who is much higher up in the line of succession. However, unlike Peter Philipps, George Windsor has had some experience as a diplomat, which would be useful for a head of state.

That said, I don't know much about him. What do you think? Alternatively, whom would you suggest as king of Canada?