Prince Carlo of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Castro (born 24 February 1963) is one of two claimants to the headship of the
House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies
The House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies is a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon that ruled Southern Italy and Sicily for more than a century in the 18th and 19th centuries. It descends from the Capetian dynasty in legitimate male line through Phili ...
.
Early life
Prince Carlo was born in
Saint-Raphaël,
Var,
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, the only son of
Prince Ferdinand, Duke of Castro and Chantal de Chevron-Villette. He was educated at the
Collège Stanislas and later studied at the Université Libérale de Paris.
Marriage and issue
On 31 October 1998, Prince Carlo married Camilla Crociani, daughter of Italian billionaire
Camillo Crociani and his second wife, Italian actress
Edy Vessel. Together Carlo and Camilla have two daughters:
*
Princess Maria Carolina, Duchess of Calabria, Duchess of Palermo and heir apparent to the house of Bourbone-Due Sicilie (born 2003)
*
Princess Maria Chiara, Duchess of Noto and Capri (born 2005)
Claimed headship of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies
In 2008, Carlo succeeded to his father's claim as head of the House of the Two Sicilies and the use of the title Duke of Castro. This claim is disputed by the Spanish branch of the House of the Two Sicilies. As claimant to the headship of the house, he thus also claims to be
sovereign
''Sovereign'' is a title that can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to ...
of the
Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George as well as the
Royal Order of Francis I.
The dispute between the Castroan and Spanish branches of the family began after the death of the last uncontested head of the house,
Ferdinand Pius, in 1960. By male primogeniture, the immediate male heir of Ferdinand Pius was his nephew
Infante Alfonso, the son of Pius's eldest younger brother
Carlos. Carlos married
María de las Mercedes, Princess of Asturias, the heir presumptive of Spain, in 1901. As a result of the marriage, his family forced Carlos to renounce his "eventual succession to the crown" of the Two Sicilies, in line with the centuries-old agreement that the crowns of Spain and the Two Sicilies were not to unify. Although this renunciation was interpreted by some as removing Carlos and his descendants from the line of succession of the Two Sicilies, supporters of Alfonso argued that the renunciation would only have applied if Carlos's wife or an eventual son had actually become the sovereign of Spain, which did not happen and would have most likely not happened at the time of the signing regardless. Nevertheless, Ferdinand Pius's and Carlos's younger brother,
Ranieri, began to regard himself as Pius's heir. Upon Pius's death, both Ranieri and Alfonso claimed to be the legitimate heads of the family.
Alfonso's line of the family (today represented by Carlo's rival claimant,
Pedro) has been officially recognized as the legitimate line by the
Government of Spain
The government of Spain () is the central government which leads the executive branch and the General State Administration of the Kingdom of Spain.
The Government consists of the Prime Minister and the Ministers; the prime minister has the ...
, the
Spanish royal house, the
Parmesan royal house and the
Portuguese royal house, whereas Ranieri's line was recognized by many non-ruling European dynasts of former monarchies (no current monarch except the king of Spain has officially stated its view on the matter), namely the
Count of Paris
Count of Paris () was a title for the local magnate of the district around Paris in Carolingian times. After Hugh Capet was elected King of the Franks in 987, the title merged into the crown and fell into disuse. However, it was later revived ...
,
Umberto of Italy,
Gottfried of Austria-Tuscany, the
Duke of Bavaria
The following is a list of monarchs during the history of Bavaria. Bavaria was ruled by several dukes and kings, partitioned and reunited, under several dynasties. Since 1918, Bavaria has been under a republican form of government, and from 19 ...
, the
Duke of Württemberg, the
Duke of Aosta
Duke of Aosta (; ) was a title in the Italian nobility. It was established in the 13th century when Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, made the County of Aosta a duchy. The region was part of the Savoyard state and the title was granted to variou ...
, the
Duke of Genoa, the
Duke of Hohenberg,
Prince Luiz of Orléans-Braganza and
Prince Michael of Greece, as well as all other members of the Sicilian house itself. It has been argued by some that the Counts of Paris supported the Castro line simply because their own pretence to the French throne depends entirely on the same principle of renunciation as the Act of Cannes, and so it would be against their own interest to support the Calabrian line. The Parises, however, sidelined a branch that renounced the claim of actually ascending a foreign throne and that reigns that throne until today (Bourbons of Spain). Interestingly, most of the other outspoken supporters of the Castro line were either sons-in-law of the Count of Paris or closely related to him.
Honours
Dynastic
*
House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies
The House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies is a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon that ruled Southern Italy and Sicily for more than a century in the 18th and 19th centuries. It descends from the Capetian dynasty in legitimate male line through Phili ...
:
** Sovereign Knight of the
Order of Saint Januarius.
[Constantanian.org.uk]
Page in which Carlo's titles and orders are listed
/ref>
** Sovereign Knight Grand Cross with Collar of Justice of the Two Sicilian Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George.Italian Royal Family
The House of Savoy (, ) is a royal house (formally a dynasty) of Franco-Italian origin that was established in 1003 in the historical region of Savoy, which was originally part of the Kingdom of Burgundy and now lies mostly within southeastern F ...
:
** Knight of the Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation
The Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation () is a Catholic order of chivalry, originating in County of Savoy, Savoy. It eventually was the pinnacle of the Orders, decorations, and medals of Italy#The Kingdom of Italy, honours system in the ...
.
** Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus.
** Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of Savoy.
* Portuguese royal family
The Most Serene House of Braganza (), also known as the Brigantine dynasty (''dinastia Brigantina''), is a dynasty of emperors, kings, princes, and dukes of Portuguese people, Portuguese origin which reigned in Europe and the Americas.
The hous ...
: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa.
Ecclesisastical
* Melkite Greek Catholic Church: Knight Grand Cross of the Patriarchal Order of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem.
National
* : Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic () is the most senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of Italy, President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi.
The highest-ranking honour of the Republi ...
.
Foreign
* : Knight Grand Cross of the Order of San Carlos.
* : Knight Grand Cross of the National Order of Juan Mora Fernandez.
* : Member of the Decoration of Honour.
* : Extraordinary Class of the Lebanese Order of Merit.
* : Grand Cross of the Order of Vasco Núñez de Balboa, Special Class.
* : Knight Grand Cross of the Equestrian Order of Saint Agatha.
* : Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit.[
]
Awards
* : Freedom of the City of LondonIndependent Catholic News
/ref>
Ancestry
References
External links
Official Website of the Royal House of Bourbon Two Siciilies
Official Website of the Grand Magistry of the Constantinian Order
Official Website of the British and Irish Delegation of the Constantinian Order
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carlo Of Castro, Duke, Prince
1963 births
Living people
People from Saint-Raphaël, Var
Princes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies
Pretenders to the throne of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
French Roman Catholics
Italian people of Polish descent
French people of Polish descent
Dukes of Calabria
Dukes of Castro
Dukes of Noto
20th-century Roman Catholics
21st-century Roman Catholics
Collège Stanislas de Paris alumni
Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa
Extraordinary Grades of the Order of Merit (Lebanon)
Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
Recipients of the Order of the Nation (Antigua and Barbuda)
Members of the Patriarchal Order of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem