[21] When he was in his 50s newspapers floated news about Don Jaime's designs related to unnamed "princesas austriacas",[22] "a distinguished French lady"[23] or Blanca de Borbón y León.

Since turning 10 the boy lived away from the family boarded in various educational institutions, meeting his parents and sisters during short holiday spells; the exception were the years of 1886–1889, spent mostly with his mother and siblings in Viareggio.

[28] Initially Jaime remained with his parents and slightly older sister in Palais La Faraz, a mansion occupied by the family in Tour de Peilz near Vevey.

[30] Upon return to Pau Margarita gave birth to two more daughters before in September 1876[31] the mother, 5 children and royal entourage – including preceptors of the boy[32] – settled in a hotel at Rue de la Pompe in Paris.

[51] There were plans about further education in Stella Matutina in Feldkirch, but most of 1887 was spent on recovery from very serious health problems, which had earlier prompted some papers to report his agony;[52] part of the scheme was Don Jaime's trip with his Bardi uncles to Egypt and Palestine.

[53] Following return to Viareggio in 1888 he embarked on his first diplomatic mission to Vatican;[54] he was also subject to dynastic speculations related to Nocedalista break-up in Spain[55] and these about his future military education in England and would-be service in India.

[60] He graduated in 1893,[61] but mounting political differences between Carlos VII and the kaiser produced a disaster: Don Jaime was neither promoted to officer rank nor admitted to the imperial army.

[72] It is not clear why the prince left the Black Sea coast and what political, diplomatic or military mechanism got him landed in Warsaw;[73] the choice was probably determined by family logistics.

During outbreak of the war against Japan in early 1904 Don Jaime was with his father in Venice, where he was reached by the call to arms; before having been received by Nicholas II in St. Petersburg in March he was likely to have stayed few days in Warsaw, though this was not recorded by the local press.

[105] A hagiographic biography provides conflicting information; on the one hand it suggests that Don Jaime served as Tserpitsky's aide-de-camp,[106] on the other, that he led two Russian companies during a charge[107] or headed reinforcements which came to rescue of a beleaguered French unit.

He reportedly commanded a successful relief assignment, deployed from Shanhaiguan to assist a Belgian-Dutch Catholic mission headed by bishop Conrad Abels and besieged by the Boxers in Manchuria.

[119] Very sporadically he was reported as taking part in gatherings of local elites, either those associated with visits of his distant relatives like Ferdinand Duke of Alençon[120] or feasts of apparently unrelated Polish aristocrats like count Mieczysław Woroniecki.

[121] Though possibly familiar with religious hierarchs,[122] in general Don Jaime was not listed as engaged in local community life;[123] he declared spending his free time in theatres and restaurants[124] and indeed was noted there.

At one opportunity the prince made some effort to court the Poles, referring to alleged Polish combatants in ranks of the legitimist troops during the last Carlist war;[142] official Spanish diplomatic services tried to keep a close watch on him.

According to a Polish cliché a cynical lot,[151] their preferred sports were allegedly womanising,[152] drinking and tormenting Jews in the jolly westernmost garrison of the Empire, in Russian officer-speak known as весёлая варшавка.

[156] Don Jaime's military career in the Far East is at times acknowledged as sort of a curiosity,[157] though his service in the Russian army is mentioned when discussing controversies within Carlism related to Spain's role in the First World War.

Dedicated works dealing with Spanish-Polish relations acknowledge even brief Polish episodes of celebrities like Pablo Picasso or Carmen Laforet but they ignore Don Jaime,[160] even though along Sofía Casanova (1907–1945) and Ignacio Hidalgo de Cisneros (1950–1962) he is one of the best-known Spaniards permanently residing in Warsaw.

According to his own account Don Jaime spent the next few weeks of June–July on special missions, including minor skirmishes and scouting in plain clothes beyond the enemy lines.

[171] In August he spent a longer spell on leave in Vladivostok; at that time the press already circulated news about his withdrawal due to health problems,[172] but he returned to line in Mukden in the early autumn.

[199] As an ardent motorist Don Jaime normally moved in automobile, either his own or this of his closest companion,[200] a Basque engineer and entrepreneur Martín Gaytan de Ayala y Aguirrebengoa;[201] initially a former conservative deputy Esteban Ruiz Mantilla was also listed as his associate.

Government officials used to dismiss the issue as irrelevant,[203] though occasionally left-wing press agonized about a dangerous subversive who comes and goes "como Pedro por su casa".

Le Matin published an interview given back in Manchuria,[209] in which he spoke favorably about the French republican government and its measures against religious orders; he declared himself a supporter of a Britain-modeled "monarquía republicana".

[213] In another interview, visibly moved after the Battle of Te-Li-Ssu carnage Don Jaime declared he would never accept such a price for ascending to the throne; this pacifist tone left numerous Carlists bewildered.

[217] The press claimed he was closer to Conservatism than Traditionalism[218] or even a Liberal,[219] floated rumors about Don Jaime running in elections,[220] appointed capitán general honorario[221] or that he was prepared to recognize Alfonso XIII.

[227] In correspondence with the nationwide party leader Matías Barrio y Mier he limited himself to official acknowledgements of various initiatives[228] and in public statements he stuck to ambiguous, general advice.

[232] Don Jaime's relations with his father deteriorated steadily since the latter married Berthe de Rohan; the step-mother and the step-son, with barely 2 years of age difference, developed venomous mutual hostility.

Her presence in the Loredan Palace in Venice is quoted as one of key reasons why Don Jaime preferred to avoid the place; she retaliated by suggesting to Carlos VII that his son approached her.

[233] It is not clear when the father and the son have seen each other last; the ultimate opportunity mentioned by the press was the summer of 1905, when en route to Russia Don Jaime spent some time in Venice.

Also Don Jaime was not exempt from similar aura, e.g. in the spring of 1909 the press reported that when driving across northern Spain, he was "accompanied by two señoritas"[240] – a fairly damning revelation at the time.

Approaching 40, a bachelor with no established personal record except erratic military career in foreign armies, Don Jaime was increasingly aware of his awkward position.