Named after his grandfather Philip V of Spain, he was expected to succeed to the Spanish throne at his fathers death. By birth he was an "infante" of Spain as well as a prince of the kingdoms of Sicily and Naples. He was the heir to one of the largest collection of former Italian states. Because of his disability he was mostly kept out of public view and forced to live quietly at the Palace's of Capodimonte and the Palace of Caserta. He died of smallpox in 1777, unmarried and childless. 