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.

Prince Carlo
Duke of Castro
Head of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (Disputed)
Tenure20 March 2008 – present
PredecessorPrince Ferdinand
Heir apparentPrincess Maria Carolina
Born (1963-02-24) 24 February 1963
Saint-Raphaël, Var, France
Spouse
Camilla Crociani
​
(m. 1998)​
Issue
  • Princess Maria Carolina
  • Princess Maria Chiara
Full name
Italian: Carlo Maria Bernardo Gennaro di Borbone-Due Sicilie
HouseBourbon-Two Sicilies
FatherPrince Ferdinand, Duke of Castro
MotherChantal de Chevron-Villette

Early life

Prince Carlo was born at Saint-Raphaël, Var, France, as the only son of Ferdinand, Duke of Castro, and his wife, Chantal de Chevron-Villette.

Marriage and issue

On 31 October 1998, Prince Carlo married Camilla Crociani, and they have two children:

  • Princess Maria Carolina, Duchess of Calabria, Duchess of Palermo (born 2003)
  • Princess Maria Chiara, Duchess of Noto, Duchess of Capri (born 2005)

Claimed headship of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies

In 2008, Carlo succeeded his father's claim as head of the House of the Two Sicilies. As claimed head of the house, he uses 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 of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George as well as the Royal Order of Francis I.

Carlo's supporters state that since his grandfather's brother Infante Carlos renounced his rights and those of his successors to succession to the throne of the Two Sicilies in 1900, the headship of the house passed to Carlo's grandfather Ranieri, Duke of Castro, then to Carlo's father Ferdinand, Duke of Castro, and most recently to Carlo.[1][2] Nonetheless, this renunciation is deemed by detractors to not have been valid due to succession laws in Spain and the Two-Sicilies. Furthermore, Infante Carlos's claims to be the Duke of Calabria and head of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies were recognized by the Spanish Government through an official investigation commissioned by Juan Carlos I and carried out by the Ministry of Justice, the Royal Academy of Jurisprudence and Legislation, the National Research Council and the Council of State. After a thorough investigation, all the bodies reported unanimously to the king of Spain that the evidence suggested Infante Carlos and thus Prince Pedro were the legitimate claimants to the headship of the family.[3] To date, this has been the only public official investigation devoted to resolving the matter.[4]

Titles, styles and honours

Titles
  • 24 February 1963 - 13 January 1973: His Royal Highness Prince Carlo of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Noto
  • 13 January 1973 – 20 March 2008: His Royal Highness Prince Carlo of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Calabria
  • 20 March 2008 – present: His Royal Highness Prince Carlo of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Castro

Dynastic

National and foreign

In letters dated 21 July 2017, the Governor-General of Antigua and Barbuda issued notice that the Duke of Castro's 2014 appointment to the Order of the Nation had been annulled. The appointment of his wife was likewise annulled.[15] In 2020, the branch of the Constantinian Order led by Prince Carlo was alleged to have influenced the election of Patricia Scotland as Commonwealth Secretary-General, which a spokesman for the Order denied, saying "These allegations are wholly offensive and wrong".[16] It was alleged that Scotland used the Order's awards to influence votes in her favour, even though four of the five honoured national leaders had voted against her appointment.[16]

Awards

Ancestry

References
  1. (Disputed) Headship of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies Archived 29 December 2006 at the Wayback Machine In Defense of (Real) History: Who is the Head of the Royal House of Bourbon of the Two Sicilies? by Luigi Mendola.
  2. The Two Sicilies Succession.
  3. Published in English in Sainty, Op. cit. 1989, pp. 134–191.
  4. The Succession to the Headship of the Two Sicilies Royal House Archived 11 October 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  5. Constantanian.org.uk, Page in which Carlo's titles and orders are listed
  6. "Illustrious Royal Order of Saint Januarius - Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George". Constantinian.org.uk. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  7. Carlo wearing the grand cross set of Januarius
  8. "Le Onorificenze". Website: Presidenza Della Repubblica (in Italian). Office of the President of the Italian Republic. 1 May 2011. Archived from the original on 30 March 2012. Retrieved 5 June 2011. BORBONE DELLE DUE SICILIE S.A.R. il Principe Carlo, Cavaliere di Gran Croce Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana, Data del conferimento: 29 July 1996. English Translation: Borbon of the Two Sicilies, H.R.H. The Prince Carlo, Knight Grand Cross in the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, Date conferred: 29 July 1996.
  9. wearing the Necklet of malta
  10. "Address by HRH The Duke of Castro on the occasion of the conferring of the Grand Cross pro Merito Melitensi within the Special Class of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta Roma" (PDF). 5 December 2013.
  11. Real, Redazione (31 December 2013). "Duke of Castro honoured by the Order of Malta – Real Casa di Borbone delle Due Sicilie". Realcasadiborbone.it. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  12. "H.E Charles Savarin And PM Skerrit Awarded Knight Grand Cross of Merit". News.gov.dm. 7 November 2014. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  13. "Duke of Castro, Duke of Calabria and Cardinal Pompedda receive highest honours from the President of Panama - Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George". Constantinian.org.uk. 27 March 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  14. "Chi Magazine - 7 April 2004 - Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George". Constantinian.org.uk. 7 April 2004. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  15. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/2836491
  16. "Order denies allegations it awarded knighthoods for political influence". The Tablet. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  17. Independent Catholic News
Prince Carlo, Duke of Castro
Cadet branch of the House of Bourbon
Born: 24 February 1963
Italian nobility
Preceded by
Prince Ferdinand		 Duke of Castro
20 March 2008 – present		 Incumbent
Heir:
Princess Maria Carolina
Titles in pretence
Preceded by
Ferdinand III		 — TITULAR —
King of the Two Sicilies
(Castro claimant)
2008 – present
Reason for succession failure:
Italian Unification under the House of Savoy		 Incumbent
Heir:
Princess Maria Carolina, Duchess of Calabria
Preceded by
Prince Pedro of
Bourbon-Two Sicilies		 Line of succession to the
throne of the Two Sicilies (Calabria line)
5th position		 Succeeded by
Prince François of
Bourbon-Two Sicilies
Line of succession to
the French throne (Legitimist)
c. 25th position		 Succeeded by
Adrian de Bourbon
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