Ena and Bee: Queen Victoria's Spanish Granddaughters

Princess Eugenia (Ena) and Princess Beatrice (Bee) of Battenberg and Saxe-Coburg, granddaughters of Queen Victoria of England, married into the Spanish royal family. Ena married King Alfonso XIII in 1906, while Bee married his cousin, Infante Don Alfonso. Ena's marriage was unhappy, and the King abdicated in 1931. Bee and her husband Ali were more popular, but personal differences led to their temporary exile. This dual biography explores their friendship against the backdrop of twentieth-century Spanish politics.

Format: Hardback
Length: 368 pages
Publication date: 31 May 2022
Publisher: Fonthill Media Ltd

Princess Eugenia (Ena) of Battenberg and Princess Beatrice (Bee) of Saxe-Coburg, granddaughters of Queen Victoria of England, were married into the Spanish royal family. In 1906, Ena became the consort of King Alfonso XIII, who had been sovereign since his birth in 1886. Three years later, Bee married his cousin, Infante Don Alfonso. Ena's marriage proved unhappy due to her haemophiliac sons' ill-health and her husband's infidelities. The King abdicated in 1931, and they led separate lives in exile until he died in 1941. Bee and her husband Ali were more popular, although personal differences between them and the King resulted in their temporary exile for the first years of their marriage. They later returned to Spain, staying there for the rest of their lives. Bee died in 1966, and Ena three years later. This dual biography, written by Anna de Sagrera with additional material from Dona Beatriz, Bee's granddaughter, looks in depth at the friendship of the mutually supportive cousins against the often turbulent background of twentieth-century Spanish politics.

Weight: 716g
Dimension: 165 x 243 x 33 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781781558546