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Alessandro Torlonia, 5th Prince of Civitella-Cesi

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Alessandro Torlonia
Prince of Civitella-Cesi
Prince Alessandro Torlonia of Civitella-Cesi in the 1930s.
Born7 December 1911
Rome, Italy
Died1 or 12 May 1986(1986-05-12) (aged 74)
Palazzo Torlonia, Rome, Italy
Noble familyTorlonia
Spouse(s)
(m. 1935)
IssueSandra, Countess Clemente Lequio di Assaba
Marco Torlonia, 6th Prince of Civitella-Cesi
Marino Torlonia
Olimpia Weiller
FatherMarino Torlonia, 4th Prince of Civitella-Cesi
MotherMary Elsie Moore

Don Alessandro Torlonia, 5th Prince of Civitella-Cesi (7 December 1911 – 1 May/12 May 1986) was an Italian banking heir and a member of the House of Torlonia.

About

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Born in Rome on 7 December 1911, Torlonia was the son of Marino Torlonia, 4th Prince di Civitella-Cesi and his American wife, Mary Elsie Moore.[1][2] Don Alessandro's youngest sister was Donna Marina Torlonia di Civitella-Cesi,[1] grandmother of the American actress Brooke Shields.[3] Thus he was Shields's grand-uncle. On the death of his father in 1933, he inherited large estates as well as his father's princely and other titles.[4][5]

In 1941, when his mother was dying in New York City, Torlonia took a high speed boat from Portugal and was arrested in error by FBI, thinking he was an enemy of the state and taken to Ellis Island.[6]

In the 1980s, Torlonia held the title as the "richest man in Rome", as he was the heir to a banking fortune.[7] He died in the Palazzo Torlonia, Rome, in 1986.

Marriage and children

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Arms of Don Alessandro Torlonia, 5th Prince di Civitella-Cesi.

On 14 January 1935, Don Alessandro morganatically[8][9][10] married in Rome the Infanta Beatriz of Spain (1909–2002), a daughter of King Alfonso XIII of Spain and of Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg.

Don Alessandro and Infanta Beatriz had four children:

  • Donna Alessandra ("Sandra") Vittoria Torlonia (1936–2014),[11] married to Count Clemente Lecquio di Assaba (1925–1971); they have two children: Count Alessandro Lecquio di Assaba and Donna Desideria Lecquio di Assaba (Countess Oddone Tournon).
  • Don Marco Torlonia, 6th Prince di Civitella-Cesi, (1937–2014) who married firstly Donna Orsetta Caracciolo dei principi di Castagneto, secondly Philippa Catherine McDonald and thirdly Blažena Anna Helena Svitáková.
  • Don Marino Riccardo Francesco Giuseppe Torlonia (1939–1995)
  • Donna Olimpia Emmanuela Enrichetta Maria Torlonia (born 1943), who married the French millionaire Paul-Annik Weiller, son of Paul-Louis Weiller. They have issue:

Ancestry

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Notes and references

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  1. ^ a b "PRINCESS TORLONIA DEAD HERE AT 53; Former Wife of Late Italian Nobleman Succumbs to Long Illness in Her Home". Times Machine, The New York Times. 22 December 1941. p. 17. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  2. ^ "The Torlonia's Son Christened". Newspapers.com. Brooklyn Life. 6 January 1912. p. 16. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  3. ^ "Between The Lines...". Newspapers.com. Pensacola News Journal. 1 August 1983. p. 30. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  4. ^ Balansó, La Familia real y la familia irreal, p. 84
  5. ^ "MARINO TORLONIA DEAD AT 72 IN ROME; Former Husband of Elsie Moore Torlonia of New York -- Fought Duel 7 Years Ago. OF NOTED PRINCELY HOUSE Was Prince of Civitella Cesi, Duke of Poll, Duke of Guadagnolo, in Cadet Branch". Times Machine, The New York Times. 7 March 1933. p. 18. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  6. ^ "Prince Torlonia Seized As Enemy". Newspapers.com. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. 15 December 1941. p. 2. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  7. ^ "Pope Loses Last In Line of Lay Assistants". Newspapers.com. The Guardian. 28 October 1987. p. 8. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  8. ^ Tourtchine, Jean-Fred. Le Royaume d'Espagne. Collection "Les manuscrits du CEDRE, dictionnaire historique et généalogique", Paris: Cercle d’études des dynasties royales européennes (CEDRE), 1996. ISSN 0993-3964. Volume III, p. 166.
  9. ^ Eilers, Marlene. Queen Victoria's Descendants. Rosvall Royal Books, Falkoping, Sweden, 1997, pp. 117–118.
  10. ^ Zorilla, Francisco. Genealogia de la Casa de Borbon de Espana. Editora Nacional, Madrid, 1971, pp. 204-205.
  11. ^ Muere Sandra Torlonia