The first home of the Spanish royal family in exile was the Château de Pau, a renaissance castle that had been the birthplace of Pilar's ancestor Henry IV of France. The Château de Pau was conveniently located close to the Spanish border and it was given to them as temporary residence by Napoleon III. As the castle was very uncomfortable, the deposed Spanish royals lived there no more than a month. Isabella II decided to settle in Paris where she bought the Palace Basilweski in the avenue du Roi-de-Rome. Located near the Arc de Triomphe, the Palace Basilweski was renamed the Palace of Castille and became the home in exile for Infanta Pilar and her family.
