Prince Carlos, Duke of Parma


Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Parma, Duke of Parma and Piacenza is the current head of the House of Bourbon-Parma, as well a member of the Dutch Royal Family. He is the uncontested traditional claimant to the defunct throne of the Duchy of Parma under the name Carlo V. In addition, he is considered by some a contested pretender to the Carlist claim to the throne of Spain under the name Carlos Javier I. In 2016 Carlos told the Spanish press that, while he "does not abandon" his claim to the throne, it is "not a priority" in his life, and he "will not dispute" the legitimacy of King Felipe VI.

Early life

Carlos was born in Nijmegen in the Netherlands as the eldest child of Carlos Hugo, Duke of Parma, and Princess Irene of the Netherlands. He has two younger sisters, Princess Margarita and Princess Carolina, and a younger brother, Prince Jaime. Carlos spent his youth in several countries including the Netherlands, Spain, France, England, and the United States. In 1981, when he was eleven, his parents divorced. Together with his mother and his siblings he then moved to Soestdijk Palace in the Netherlands. He lived at the palace for a number of years with his grandparents, Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands.

Education and career

Carlos studied political sciences at Wesleyan University in Connecticut and demography and philosophy at Cambridge University in England.
After completing his studies Carlos worked for the company ABN AMRO in Amsterdam, where he was involved with preparations for the introduction of the euro. He then worked for a while in Brussels as a public affairs consultant for the company European Public Policy Advisors. Since 2007 he has been engaged in projects concerning sustainability in the business world.

Dutch royal house

Carlos is sometimes present at representative occasions concerning the royal house of the Netherlands. In 2003 he was involved, together with his aunt, Queen Beatrix, in the inauguration of the "Prince Claus Leerstoel", a professorship named after the Queen's husband, Prince Claus. During special events of the royal house he is regularly present. For example, he was one of the organizers of the wedding celebration of Prince Constantijn and Princess Laurentien.

Personal life

Relationship with Brigitte Klynstra and son

Prince Carlos had a relationship with Brigitte Klynstra, the stepdaughter of Count Adolph Roderik van Rechteren Limpurg. During this relationship he fathered a son:
In December 2015, the then 18-year-old Carlos Klynstra started the legal procedure to attempt to change his surname to that of his biological father which would also allow him to use the title of "Prince". The Duke of Parma opposed this on the basis that it was in contravention of the traditions of the House of Bourbon-Parma. On 9 March 2016 the Minister of Security and Justice declared his family name request valid. Later that year a court in The Hague concurred with the minister in declaring the claim valid under Dutch law.
According to the judgement, Carlos Hugo will be entitled to be known as "Zijne Koninklijke Hoogheid Carlos Hugo Roderik Sybren prins de Bourbon de Parme" ; this will come only into effect once the Dutch king has signed the royal decree. According to the press release of the Council of State of 28 February 2018, the name change does not mean that Klynstra is now also a member of the Royal House De Bourbon de Parme. That is a private matter of the House itself and this is outside the jurisdiction of the Dutch Nobility Law.

Marriage to Annemarie Gualthérie van Weezel

On 7 October 2009 it was announced through his mother's private secretary that Prince Carlos would marry Annemarie Cecilia Gualthérie van Weezel. The civil marriage took place on 12 June 2010 at Wijk bij Duurstede. The church wedding was to have taken place at the La Cambre Abbey in Ixelles on 28 August, but it was postponed owing to his father's illness. Prince Carlos Hugo died shortly afterwards.
Annemarie is the daughter of Johan Stephan Leonard Gualthérie van Weezel and Ank de Visser. Her father was a member of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands for the Christian Democratic party, the Dutch ambassador to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, and the ambassador to Luxembourg. Gualthérie van Weezel's paternal grandfather was Jan Hans Gualthérie van Weezel, who was the head of the police in The Hague and member of the Dutch resistance during the Second World War. Annemarie Gualthérie van Weezel went to secondary school in Strasbourg and obtained a Master of Laws degree at the University of Utrecht. Subsequently, she completed a post-graduate study in Radio and Television journalism at the University of Groningen. Gualthérie van Weezel works as a parliamentary journalist in The Hague and Brussels for the Dutch public channel NOS. In Brussels, she met Prince Carlos for the first time.
On 2 August 2010, it was revealed that the health of his father, the Duke of Parma, was quickly deteriorating due to cancer. As a consequence, the church wedding of the prince Carlos and his fiancée was delayed. In a final announcement about his condition, the Duke confirmed Carlos as the next Head of the House of Bourbon-Parma. Just before his death the old Duke of Parma named Annemarie as "Contessa di Molina". Prince Carlos's father died on 18 August 2010 in Barcelona, Spain, at the age of 80; Carlos subsequently became the next head of the House of Bourbon-Parma.
The new Duke of Parma and Annemarie were married on 20 November 2010 in La Cambre Abbey.
Together they have two daughters and a son:
In 2016 at the baptism of Prince Carlos Enrique, Prince Carlo conferred on his son the title of "Principe di Piacenza", which is the traditional title assigned to a crown prince of the House of Bourbon Parma, the continuer of the dynasty, and future Duke of Parma and Piacenza. In September 2017, the Duke of Parma named his daughter Luisa as "Marchesa di Castell'Arquato", and her younger sister Cecilia was named as "Contessa di Berceto".

His rights as the Carlist pretender

Charles Xavier, in an interview with the newspaper La Vanguardia, he says:
Also Charles Xavier with his morganatic marriage in 2010, he incurs loss of rights for claim of throne. About the Spanish Law :es:Pragmática sanción de 1776|Pragmatic sanction of 1776.

Titles, styles and honours

Titles and styles

National

As Head of the House of Bourbon-Parma, Carlos is Grand Master of four dynastic orders: