Juan Carlos I Breaks Silence on Brother’s Accidental Death After Seven Decades
For the first time in nearly 70 years,Juan Carlos I,the former King of spain,has publicly detailed the tragic accidental shooting that claimed the life of his younger brother,Infante Alfonso,in 1956. The incident occurred on maundy Thursday at the family’s villa in Estoril, Portugal, where the exiled Spanish Royal Family resided following the Spanish Civil War.
At the time, Juan Carlos was 18 years old and on leave from the Zaragoza Military Academy, while Alfonso was just 14. According to the former King’s newly published memoirs,the brothers were unaware a .22 caliber pistol was loaded when juan Carlos fired a shot into the air. The bullet ricocheted, fatally striking Alfonso in the forehead. The young prince died in the arms of their father, Don Juan de Borbón, the Count of Barcelona and claimant to the Spanish throne.
The event was initially reported as a domestic accident during a gun cleaning, with the Spanish embassy in Lisbon releasing a brief statement to that effect. No formal examination was launched, and the family largely avoided discussing the tragedy for decades.
In his memoirs, Juan Carlos I expresses the enduring weight of guilt and grief he has carried as that day. ”I will never recover from this tragedy,” he writes, adding that he thinks of his brother every day and deeply misses their friendship and companionship. He describes the loss as leaving an “immense void” in his life.
His mother, Maria das Mercedes, reportedly felt as though “life stopped” after the shooting. Accounts suggest she may have been the one who retrieved the pistol from her husband’s safe, unknowingly handing a loaded weapon to juan Carlos. In a gesture of profound sorrow, Don Juan de Borbón threw the gun into the sea shortly after the funeral, seeking to rid himself of the instrument of his son’s death.
Alfonso was buried in Cascais on April 2, 1956. Photographs from the time depict a visibly distraught Juan Carlos, and a poignant moment where his sister, Infanta Margarita, placed wildflowers in Alfonso’s hands before the burial.
While Juan Carlos I briefly alluded to his affection for his brother in a 2016 interview, this marks the first time he has offered a comprehensive account of the events of that day. He explains his decision to finally speak openly about the tragedy, stating, “There are wounds that onyl heal when they are said out loud.”
The tragedy in Cascais profoundly impacted the Borbón family and, according to the memoirs, has remained a deeply personal burden for the former King throughout his life, shaping both his personal history and his role as a symbol of Spain’s democratic transition.
