Alfonso's wife, Maria Christina of Austria, was expecting a child with many hoping for a male heir. A new decree dated 1August 1880, established the ceremony for the presentation of the "Prince or Infanta" as Maria Christina was close to giving birth; the decision to formally establish the title was immediately appealed by a commission of the Provincial Delegation of Oviedo, which asked for the return of the title based on the validity of the decree of 1850. The decree establishing the ceremony for the presentation of the child was published in the "Gazette of Madrid" of 1September 1880, in which the heir was referred to as Prince of Asturias.