Prince Ferdinand of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, The Duke of Castro (Ferdinando Maria Andrea Alfonso Marcus; 28 May 1926 – 20 March 2008) was a claimant to the headship of the former Royal House of the Two Sicilies.

Biography

Ferdinand was born in Podzamcze, the son of

Prince Ranieri, Duke of Castro , title = Duke of Castro , image = Raniero.jpg , image_size = , caption = Portrayed with a cavalry uniform of the Spanish Army and the Order of Alcántara, c. 1914 , succession = Head of the House of Bo ...

, and his wife Countess Maria Carolina Zamoyska. His parents were first cousins, as his grandmothers were sisters. His paternal grandparents were also first cousins. He lived most of his life in France and was the first member of the Two Sicilian royal family to serve in the

French Armed Forces The French Armed Forces (french: Forces armées françaises) encompass the Army, the Navy, the Air and Space Force and the Gendarmerie of the French Republic. The President of France heads the armed forces as Chief of the Armed Forces. Franc ...

. Ferdinand succeeded as head of the House of the Bourbon-Two Sicilies on his father's death in 1973, having carried out the functions associated with the headship of the family since 1966. He was

Sovereign ''Sovereign'' is a title which can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the Latin , meaning 'above'. The roles of a sovereign vary from monarch, ruler or ...

of the

Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George The Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George (SMOCG) ( it, Sacro Militare Ordine Costantiniano di San Giorgio, es, Sagrada Orden Militar Constantiniana de San Jorge), also historically referred to as the Imperial Constantinian Order ...

and of the

Royal Order of Francis I The Royal Order of Francis I (properly 'The Royal Order of Francis I of the Two Sicilies' it, Reale Ordine di Francesco I) was an extinct order of merit of the former Kingdom of the Two Sicilies which was annexed in 1861 by the King of Italy (u ...

. He was decorated with several dynastic and state orders. Ferdinand died in France on 20 March 2008.

Marriage and children

Ferdinand was married in

Giez Giez is a municipality in the district of Jura-Nord Vaudois in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. History Giez is first mentioned in 1011 as ''Gies''. Geography Giez has an area, , of . Of this area, or 58.5% is used for agricultural purpo ...

on 23 July 1949 to Chantal de Chevron-Villette (1925–2005), and they had three children: * Princess Béatrice (born 16 June 1950 in Saint-Raphaël), who married Prince Charles Bonaparte on 19 December 1978 in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

and has issue; divorced in 1989 **Princess Caroline Bonaparte (born 24 October 1980) married Eric Alain Marie Quérénet-Onfroy de Bréville (born 28 June 1971) on 27 September 2009 in Castellabate nel Cilento, Italy; and has issue ** Prince Jean-Christophe Bonaparte, The Prince Napoléon (born 11 July 1986) *Princess Anne (born 24 April 1957 in Saint-Raphaël) married Baron Jacques

Cochin Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...

on 9 September 1977 in Roquebrunne-sur-Argens, and has issue; divorced *

Prince Carlo, Duke of Castro Prince Carlo of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Castro (born 24 February 1963) is one of the two claimants to the headship of the former House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. Early life Prince Carlo was born at Saint-Raphaël, Var, France, as the only son ...

(born 24 February 1963 in Saint-Raphaël) married Camilla Crociani on 31 October 1998 in

Monte Carlo Monte Carlo (; ; french: Monte-Carlo , or colloquially ''Monte-Carl'' ; lij, Munte Carlu ; ) is officially an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco, specifically the ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is ...

**Princess Maria Carolina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, The Duchess of Calabria (born 23 June 2003) **Princess Maria Chiara of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, The Duchess of Noto (born 1 January 2005)

Honours

Sovereign Military Order of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ( it, Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; ...

: Bailiff Knight Grand Cross of Obedience of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, 1st Class * : Grand Cross of the Order of Vasco Núñez de Balboa, Special Class

Ancestry

References

External links