María Cristina was raised in Seville, and given her father's close relationship with the Spanish Royal Family, she and her siblings were awarded the title of Infante and Infanta of Spain.

María Cristina was born in Seville, a city in which her parents were forced to live in order to stay away from any palace intrigue in the court of Isabel II of Spain, her mother's sister.

In 1878, her sister Mercedes, who was eight years younger than Maria Cristina, contracted a marriage with her cousin, Alfonso XII of Spain.

The union, celebrated for love and not for political reasons, would help seal the personal gap between Isabel II and her sister, the Duchess of Montpensier, Cristina's mother.

[7] The death of the Queen plunged the Royal Family into deep sadness; Alfonso XII was especially heartbroken to have been widowed at only 20 years of age, but since he lacked an heir, the King was soon forced to look for a second wife.