Infanta María del Pilar of Spain
Infanta María del Pilar of Spain (Spanish: María del Pilar Berenguela Isabel Francisca de Asís Cristina Sebastiana Gabriela Francisca Caracciolo Saturnina de Borbón y Borbón; 4 June 1861 – 5 August 1879) was the third surviving child and second surviving daughter of Queen Isabella II and her king consort, Francisco de Asís, Duke of Cádiz. Infanta Pilar was the younger sister of King Alfonso XII.
| Infanta María del Pilar of Spain | |||||
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| Born | 6 April 1861 Madrid, Spain | ||||
| Died | 5 August 1879 (aged 18) Eskoriatza, Spain | ||||
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| House | Bourbon | ||||
| Father | Francisco de Asís, Duke of Cádiz | ||||
| Mother | Isabella II of Spain | ||||
At the age of seven, Pilar accompanied her mother into exile in Paris, where she was educated at the College of the Sacred Heart. After the fall of Napoleon III, the royal family settled in Geneva. In 1875, with the restoration of the monarchy to her brother Alfonso XII, she returned to Spain. Upon her mother's return to France, Pilar moved with her younger sisters Paz and Eulalia to the Royal Palace of Madrid. She completed her education under the supervision of her eldest sister, Isabella, Princess of Asturias.
There was a project to marry Pilar to Napoleon, Prince Imperial, the son and heir of the French emperor Napoleon III. Prince Napoleon's mother, Empress Eugenie, and Queen Isabella II were in favor of this union, but the young prince was killed in the Anglo-Zulu War. Two months later Pilar, age 18, died suddenly in Eskoriatza. Empress Eugenie took a wreath from her son's grave and sent it to Pilar's gravesite in El Escorial.