Sixtus's father, Prince Xavier of Bourbon-Parma, was the leader of the National Council of the Traditionalist Communion, the largest faction of Spanish Carlists, and thus claimed to be the rightful monarch of Spain from 1952 until his "abdication" in 1972. Xavier's successor, in whose favor Xavier renounced his Carlist claim in 1975, was Sixtus's older brother Carlos Hugo, Duke of Parma, who took the title "Carlos VI" as claimant to the Spanish crown. However, Carlos Hugo's deviations from traditional Carlist ideology—most notably his endorsement of Titoist socialism—caused many Carlists to question his leadership. Carlos Hugo sought to change the political direction of the Carlist movement through the Carlist Party, of which he was the official head during the 1976 Carlist gathering when the fatal Montejurra incident occurred, and at which Sixtus Henry was also present, leading opposition to his brother's reforms. After the death of Xavier in 1977, Sixtus put forth the claim to be regent, and took the title "Standard-bearer of Tradition". Sixtus' claim was supported by their mother; his father's last wishes were difficult to discern. Sixtus publicly protested when Carlos Hugo donated the Carlist archives to the government of Spain in 2002. Carlos Hugo renounced his claim to the throne in 1979 or 1980, but reasserted it in 2003. After his death in 2010, his son Carlos, Duke of Parma succeeded him in the eyes of the Carlists loyal to Carlos Hugo, and his followers claimed on a blog his kingship as "Carlos Javier I". In 2016 Carlos told the Spanish press that, while he "does not abandon" his claim to the throne, it is "not a priority" in his life, and he "will not dispute" the legitimacy of King Felipe VI. The Carlist organization known as Comunión Tradicionalista recognizes Sixtus as their leader and calls him the "standard-bearer of Tradition". Some of them recognize him as king, under the title "Enrique V". Sixtus himself has never explicitly asserted his right to the throne; rather, he has stated that he would prefer to remain regent in the hope that one of Carlos Hugo's sons may return to traditional Carlist ideology. Nonetheless, he has not objected to his followers shouting "¡Viva el Rey!" during his speeches. His heir presumptive in Spanish, French and Parma lines since 2019 is the incumbent monarch of Luxembourg.
Later life
Although the youngest of six children and the second son of his parents, Sixtus inherited his childhood home, the chateau de Lignières near the middle of France, from his mother whose dowry it had been. In 2010, he sought a court order to prevent the continued exhibition of artworks by the Japanese artist Takashi Murakami at the Palace of Versailles. He has publicly stated that it "denatures" French culture. Sixtus was present at the episcopal ordination of four bishops who belong to the Society of Saint Pius X by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre on 30 June 1988 at Écône, Switzerland, and was the first to publicly congratulate him. Sixtus has travelled widely in Latin America, both Spanish and Portuguese-speaking. In January 2001, while travelling through Argentina, he was in a nearly fatal traffic accident, from which he did not completely recover. He has difficulties walking as a result of the accident, prompting him to limit public appearances. In 2014 he took part in a far-right meeting in Vienna organised by Konstantin Malofeev, in which the participants discussed about how to 'save Europe from liberalism and the "satanic" gay lobby'. Since 2015, Sixtus has claimed the title of Grand Master of the Order of Saint Lazarus, as part of its "Jerusalem obedience" wing.
