by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Prince Elia of Bourbon-Parma was head of the House of Bourbon-Parma and pretender to the former ducal throne of Parma from 1950 until his death in 1959. Additionally, he served as regent from 1907-1950 for two of his elder brothers, Enrico and Giuseppe, who were mentally disabled.

Prince Elia Roberto Carlo Maria of Bourbon-Parma was born on July 23, 1880 in Biarritz, Switzerland, the fourth son of Roberto I, Duke of Parma and Princess Maria Pia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. He had eleven siblings:

• Princess Marie Louise of Bourbon-Parma (1870 – 1899), married Ferdinand I, Prince of Bulgaria (later Tsar), had four children including Tsar Boris I of Bulgaria,
• Ferdinando, Prince of Piacenza (born and died 1871 ), died in infancy
• Princess Luisa Maria of Bourbon-Parma (1872 – 1943), unmarried, mentally disabled
• Enrico, Titular Duke of Parma (1873 – 1939), unmarried, mentally disabled, his brother Elias took up the role as regent and Head of the House of Bourbon-Parma
• Princess Maria Immacolata of Bourbon-Parma (1874 – 1914), unmarried, mentally disabled
• Giuseppe, Titular Duke of Parma (1875 – 1950), unmarried, mentally disabled, his brother Elias continued his role as regent and Head of the House of Bourbon-Parma
• Princess Maria Teresa of Bourbon-Parma (1876 – 1959), unmarried, mentally disabled
• Princess Maria Pia of Bourbon-Parma (1877 – 1915), unmarried, mentally disabled
• Princess Beatrice of Bourbon-Parma (1879 – 1946), married Count Pietro Lucchesi-Palli, had four children
• Princess Maria Anastasia of Bourbon-Parma (born and died 1881), died in infancy
• Prince Augusto of Bourbon-Parma (stillborn 1882)

He also had 12 siblings from his father’s second marriage to Infanta Maria Antonia of Portugal:

• Princess Maria della Neve Adelaide of Bourbon-Parma (1885 – 1959), Benedictine nun at the Monastery of Solesmes, France
• Prince Sixtus of Bourbon-Parma (1886 – 1934), married Hedwige de La Rochefoucauld, had one daughter
• Xavier, Titular Duke of Parma (1889 – 1977), married Madeleine de Bourbon-Busset, had six children including Carlos Hugo, Titular Duke of Parma who married and divorced Princess Irene of the Netherlands, the Carlist claimants to the Spanish throne descend through this line
• Princess Francesca of Bourbon-Parma (1890 – 1978), Benedictine nun at the Monastery of Solesmes, France
• Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma (1892 – 1989), married Karl I, Emperor of Austria, had eight children
• Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma (1893 – 1970), married Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg, had six children including Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg
• Prince René of Bourbon-Parma (1894 – 1962), married Princess Margrethe of Denmark, had four children including Princess Anne of Bourbon-Parma who married King Michael I of Romania
• Princess Maria Antonia of Bourbon-Parma (1895 – 1937), Benedictine nun at the Monastery of Solesmes, France
• Princess Isabella of Bourbon-Parma (1898 – 1984), unmarried
• Prince Luigi of Bourbon-Parma (1899 – 1967), married Princess Maria Francesca of Savoy, had four children
• Princess Enrichetta of Bourbon-Parma (1903 – 1987), unmarried, hearing disabled
• Prince Gaetano of Bourbon-Parma (1905 – 1958), married and divorced Princess Margarete of Thurn and Taxis, had one daughter

Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria. source: Wikipedia

Elia married Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria on May 25, 1903 in Vienna. She was the daughter of Archduke Friedrich, Duke of Teschen and Princess Isabella of Croÿ. The couple had nine children:

• Princess Maria Elisabetta (1904) – unmarried
• Prince Carlo Luigi (1905) – died in childhood
• Princess Maria Francesca (1906) – unmarried
• Prince Roberto Hugo, Duke of Parma (1909) – unmarried
• Princess Maria Antonia (1911) – married Prince Gottffried of Thurn und Taxis, had issue
• Prince Francesco Alfonso (1913) – unmarried
• Princess Giovanna Isabella (1916) – unmarried
• Princess Alicia Maria (1917) – married Infante Alfonso of Spain, Duke of Calabria, had issue
• Princess Maria Cristina (1925) – unmarried

When Elia’s father Roberto I died in 1907, the headship of the family passed to Elia’s eldest living brother, Enrico. However, Enrico, and several of his siblings, were mentally disabled. Within just a few months, the Austrian court declared that Enrico and several of his siblings were legally incompetent. Elia served as regent for two of his elder brothers – Elia and Giuseppe, before legitimately becoming head of the house in 1950.

A dispute emerged between Elia and his younger half-brothers over the distribution of their father’s estate. An agreement was reached in 1910, in which Elia received half of the estate while the rest would be divided amongst the others. Elia’s half included the famed Château de Chambord in France, which was later confiscated during World War I as enemy property. Several years later, Elia’s half-brothers sued him to gain a larger share of their father’s estate, claiming that their 1910 agreement was in violation of French law. The French court initially ruled in their favor, but it was overturned in 1928. Four years later, the appeal was upheld because the brothers had entered into a valid agreement willingly in 1910, thus superseding the French law of equal division. This decision also recognized Elia’s claim to Chambord. While the chateau was not returned to him, he was compensated with a payment of 11 million francs.

Prince Elia died on June 27, 1959 in Friedberg, Austria, and is buried nearby in Mönichkirchen. He was succeeded by his second son, Robert Hugo.

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