The Easter of 1956 was a nightmare for the Spanish Royal Family. Maundy Thursday in 1956 was the day when 18-year-old Juan Carlos, later King Juan Carlos of Spain, shot and killed his younger brother Alfonso de Borbon. Alfonso was the youngest child of Don Juan Carlos de Borbon and Princess Maria de las Mercedes and was called Alfonsito by family and friends. He was only 14 years old.
At the end of September, a new Spanish documentary was broadcast by HBO in which several former close friends of the family and the former King Juan Carlos shared their recollections of the incident.
The shot is said to have been fired when young Juan Carlos, who was home on Easter break from the military school he attended, was cleaning a gun he had been given by the Fascist dictator, Francisco Franco. The shot hit young Alfonso in the head and the 14-year-old boy died instantly.
Antonio Eraso, a former close childhood friend of King Juan Carlos says in the documentary: “I was there when this happened, but in another room. We all ran when we heard the shot. The boys father, Count Juan of Barcelona, demanded Juan Carlos swear that he had not done it on purpose. It was not easy for a 17-18-year-old boy”.
No police investigation was launched, nor was an autopsy carried out – all at the order of the little boy’s father, Count Juan.
The Spanish Royal family lived at this time in exile in Portugal, at Villa Giralda, as dictator Francisco Franco was in power in Spain. After a referendum in 1947, Spain reinstated the monarchy, but General Franco was to hold power for life. He was given the authority to choose his own successor to the throne and selected Juan Carlos, much to the surprise of Count Juan.
One can see in the newspapers from that time that the most important thing about the incident has been omitted: That it was Juan Carols who caused his brother’s death. Rumors spread, but this was not confirmed to the public until several years after Juan Carlos become King of Spain in 1975. It was only known in 1956 that the boy had died in a shooting accident.
The funeral liturgy for Alfonso was held on Holy Saturday, two days after the murder. He was buried at the municipal cemetery in Cascais, Portugal. In October 1992 he was re-buried in the Pantheon of the Princes of El Escorial near Madrid.
