…There was strife and unrest in Spain during the time of Victoria Eugenie’s and Alfonso’s reign. Ena’s records show she complained to her ladies in waiting that Alfonso took “bad political advice”.
Between that and the populace’s general mistrust of her, that she had personal crises. To handle that, she turned to humanitarian work. She gathered Spanish currency, called pesetas, healthcare supplies, and clothes for the ill and injured Spanish soldiers who were in Morocco in the war in North Africa.
This effort re organized the Spanish Red Cross, which had been founded in 1864 for worldwide relief. She updated Spanish methods using those she learned from other European countries, such as personal hygiene and use of sanitary and modern medical supplies.
(photo: Ena in her Spanish Red Cross Uniform about 1910)