[1] Among his younger siblings, all of whom were born in London, was Rafael Merry del Val, who became Cardinal Secretary of State to Pope Pius X.

[4] In 1908, he was appointed Minister Plenipotentiary in Tangier with the difficult task of resolving the conflicts caused by the activities of the Spanish Rif Mines Company and the claims of independence of Sultan Mulay Hafid.

After the events of the Tragic Week in Barcelona, the government of Prime Minister Antonio Maura fell, and Merry del Val was replaced by Luis Valera, the Marquess of Villasinda.

His Anglophile tendencies and his familiarity with the British language, culture and high society greatly facilitated his mission at the Court of George V, marked by good relations between both monarchies.

[14] In 1938, he negotiated with the British authorities the recognition of the Government at Burgos, acting alongside the Duke of Alba as unofficial representative of Gen. Francisco Franco.

He was also made a Knight of the Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa by King Manuel II of Portugal, corresponding academician of the Royal Academy of History and was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge.