Prince Charles Hugues of Bourbon Parma is to undergo treatment for cancer, a spokesman for the Duke of Parma has said. The 77-year old prince will be treated at the Dutch Cancer Institute of the Antoni van Leeuwenhoek hospital in Amsterdam.
The treatment consists of radiation, which will be done five days a week, for at least seven weeks "in order to repress the disease and to prevent it from returning" the spokesman said. The prince has already been treated successfully in the Allgemeine Klinik in Vienna, Austria.
Prince Carlos Hugo, as he is better known in the Netherlands, is the former husband of Dutch Princess Irene. Their marriage, which ended in divorce in 1981, caused quite a stir in the Netherlands, not least because the protestant princess became converted to catholicism beforehand.
The Dutch government made it clear it would not seek parliamentary consent for the marriage, because of the prince’s claims to the then still vacant throne of Spain. Irene by marrying the prince, lost here rights of succession in Holland. The wedding took place on April 29th 1964 in Rome; the entire Dutch royal family stayed away.
Spanish dictator Franco later appointed Prince Juan Carlos de Borbon, at whose wedding in 1962 Princess Irene had been a bridesmaid, as future King of Spain. Carlos Hugo, who lived in excile in Paris, tried to get a seat in the new democratic parliament, but did not succeed.
His relations with the Dutch royal family have remained very cordial. The prince was guest at all the major royal events, including February 1st birthday bash for Queen Beatrix and her sister Princess Margriet.
© RB; Photos by © Phil Nijhuis
Comments