The family is recognized in Europe, even Pope Francis received its members as “the legitimate heirs to the throne of Mexico”… which does not exist in the country.
After the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the entire issue of royalty captured the media’s attention, in this context it is worth remembering that Mexico has a royal family, considered in Europe as the heir to the throne of our country.
Why is there a royal family from Mexico?
Although the monarchy in Mexico was dissolved in the 19th century, this family is recognized in Europe as a royal family, because they are direct descendants of the last emperor of Mexico: Maximilian of Habsburg.
The history of the Mexican royal family begins just after Independence, then the first form of government that the country had was the monarchy, appointing Agustín de Iturbide as emperor in 1822, his mandate only lasted one year and the government that we know now began.
However, there was another period of the Empire of Mexico, which, as mentioned before, was led by Maximilian of Habsburg and his wife Carlota. His government lasted three years, from 1864 to 1867, when the Austrian emperor was shot on the Cerro de las Campanas, in Querétaro. From that moment it was established that nobility titles would no longer be recognized in Mexico.
The house of Iturbide, the royal family of Mexico
And, as if it were a story, the destiny of the two families came together outside of Mexico. After the death of Agustín de Iturbide, Empress Ana María decided to leave Mexico and went to the United States, taking her 10 children (Agustín, Sabina, Juana, Josefa, Ángel, Salvador, María, Dolores, Felipe, and Agustín Cosme).
When his father rose to power, Agustín Jerónimo was designated as crown prince; however, never having legitimate offspring, he appointed his nephew Agustín de Iturbide y Green, son of his brother Ángel, as heir to the throne.
While abroad, the children of Agustín de Iturbide had a good relationship with the Habsburg family; In fact, Maximiliano and his wife, Carlota, adopted Agustín de Iturbide y Green, one of Iturbide’s grandchildren, and his cousin, Salvador de Iturbide y Marzán, because they were unable to have offspring.
Who have been the heirs to the throne of Mexico?
This is how the royal family of Mexico arose, with the union of the Habsburgs and Iturbide, and the monarchy gained strength and has grown over the years. During this time the throne of Mexico has been in the hands of Salvador de Iturbide y Marzán (appointed Prince of Austria, that is, he inherited the noble title of Maximilian in Europe), Josefa de Iturbide y Huarte (daughter of Agustín de Iturbide); María Josefa Sofía de Iturbide y Mikos (daughter of Salvador de Iturbide) and Maximilien von Götzen-Iturbide.
Who is Maximilien von Götzen-Iturbide, the heir to the throne of Mexico?
After the mysterious death of María Josefa Sofía de Iturbide, the heir to the House of Iturbide became her only grandson, Maximilien von Götzen-Iturbide, he is currently recognized as the heir to the throne of Mexico.
Maximiliano Gustavo Alberto Ricardo Agustín von Götzen-Iturbide, born in Beszterce, Kingdom of Hungary on March 2, 1944, is a businessman of Hungarian origin and head of the Imperial House of Mexico since 1949. He is the son of Baroness Maria Gizela Tunkl von Aschbrunn und Hohenstadt and her second husband, Count Gustav von Götzen.
The family obtained permission from the Hungarian Ministry of the Interior and were allowed to use the surname Götzen-Iturbide, while Götzen’s given names reflect his lineage from the two emperors of Mexico. He also has a younger sister, Emanuela von Götzen-Iturbide who was born in 1945. In the years after World War II, the family settled in South America, in fact, Götzen’s father died in 1956 in Caracas.
Maximilian or Maximilien von Götzen-Iturbide is married to Maria Anna de Franceschi, she is descended from a line of Croatian and Venetian nobles. They have two children born in Australia: Fernando, currently 28, who would be second in line to the “imperial throne”, and Emanuela, born in 1998.
Although Maximiliano has shown no interest in having any political role, he is considered the rightful heir to the House of Iturbide. But if he wanted to get to Mexico, he would do it like any foreigner.
Although the title does not exist in our country, in Europe the family is recognized and, in fact, in 2011 Maximilian was received by both Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis as the “legitimate heir to the throne of Mexico” in the Vatican Apostolic Palace.
