Etiquette and the King’s Car

A motoring Monarch was a grave crisis in the history of Spanish royal etiquette!

Spain’s Blithe Young King

There is a grave crisis in the history of Spanish etiquette, says the London Chronicle. King Alfonso XIII, who is described by a French Journal as “very impulsive and at the same time very ‘sporty,’” wishes to make a royal progress through his Kingdom in an automobile. Horror of the Prime Minister! Such a vehicle, he says, is beneath the dignity of a Monarch to whom the constitution has entrusted the “sumptuous car of the state.” 

The sumptuous car must not be driven by petroleum. Horses are still harnessed to the Chariot of the Sun. But Spanish etiquette does not prevent the Monarch from traveling by railway. Lady Currie tells a story of a young man who jumped into a compartment one day on the English train and started a conversation with an old lady who greatly admired his pleasant manners. When he was alighting site asked his name and he answered, blithely, “Alfonso.” He was Alfonso XII, then a cadet at Sandhurst. The anecdote will probably be read at Madrid with pain and incredulity. — King City Rustler, 1905

Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia