You are assuming the Duke of Huescar tried to register his daughter with all those names, but it is not correct. He perfectly knew it. The press was just speculating what would happen if he tried to.
About King Juan Carlos, I was also intrigued when I saw all those names in his Brirish case. But he also was referred as HM, which is not in his ID. But he surely used his diplomatic passport and maybe the rules for diplomatic passports are different. 
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According to Spanish law you are only allowed 2 Christian names, the Catholic Church does not limit the number of baptismal names. As you say two separate jurisdictions. We are exploring the complications arising from the collision between the two systems.
I was not aware of the Spanish law restricting Christian names, but I am not Spanish. The Duke of Huescar is Spanish and I assume reasonably well educated. Why did he try to register his daughter's birth with 25 names when he should known that only 2 were legally allowed? The little girl was his second child so he's been through the process before. Why did the registrar not simply say her birth is recorded with her first 2 names only and there would not have been a controversy?
The recent case in the English High Court between King Juan Carlos and Corinna zu Sayn Wittgenstein listed the King's name as Juan Carlos Alphonso Victor Maria de Borbon y Borbon which I presume is his legal name. So are his baptismal names part of his legal name or not?
An individual's name and how it is recognised or not recognised is "a big deal" in my opinion. Previous Message
Thinking of these things in opposing terms which exclude one an other isn’t exactly helpful.
Take a moment to think about this: Which authority in the UK would have a law about Christian names? The government, or a church? And would having multiple names together for a person be illegal (and subject to punishment) or would it be extralegal or unlawful and simply not recognized within the jurisdiction concerned (UK civil/governmental law or some Christian denominational church doctrine?).
Law is law, sure, but which law by which authority and in what context? Multiple can exist simultaneously. Civil law, church law, etc. Not all things are neatly congruent, agree with one another, etc. Please take the time to avoid conflating such things.
This is making a big deal out of very little. A Spanish civil name has restrictions that a Catholic baptismal name may not. They need not be the same as one another with respect to the same individual, one does not invalidate the other, etc. In a civil framework requiring a civil name, that is what would be used. Previous Message
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