Queen Maria Cristina and her daughter
Maria Cristina Muñoz, marquesa de la Isabela

Born in Palermo on 27 April 1806, Maria Cristina of the Two Sicilies was the daughter of King Francis I of the Two Sicilies by his second wife, Maria Isabella of Spain.

On 1 December 1829 she became the fourth wife of the childless King Ferdinand VII of Spain. When he died in 1833 she became Queen-Regent for their three-year-old daughter Queen Isabel II until she reached her majority in 1840. 

On 28 December 1833, shortly after the death of King Ferdinand VII, Maria Christina secretly married an ex-sergeant from the royal guard, Agustín Fernando Muñoz (1808–1873). Maria Christina and Muñoz eventually had eight children together while trying to keep their marriage a secret, including the girl seen here, Maria Christina Muñoz, marquesa de la Isabela. 

As news of the marriage began to spread, the Queen became increasingly unpopular. By 1840 her position had become intolerable. She renounced the regency and left Spain with Muñoz and their children. 

She died at Le Havre in France on 22 August 1878. As the mother of a monarch of Spain she was buried in the royal crypt at El Escorial. 

María Cristina Muñoz y de Borbón married José María Bernaldo de Quirós y González de Cienfueos, VIII marqués de Campo Sagrado, and had issue, including a son who succeeded her in her titles. 

She died on 19 Decemer 1921.