Charles Ferdinand of the Two Sicilies, Prince of Capua (Full Italian

Italian language

Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...

 name: Carlo Ferdinando, Principe di Borbone delle Due Sicilie, Principe di Capua) (10 November 1811 – 22 April 1862 in Turin

Turin

Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...

, Kingdom of Italy

Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)

The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...

) was a member of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies

House of Bourbon

The House of Bourbon is a European royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty . Bourbon kings first ruled Navarre and France in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Bourbon dynasty also held thrones in Spain, Naples, Sicily, and Parma...

.

Family

Charles Ferdinand was second-eldest son of Francis I of the Two Sicilies

Francis I of the Two Sicilies

-Biography:Francis was born in Naples, the son of Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies and his wife Archduchess Maria Carolina of Austria. He was also the nephew of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI the last King and Queen of France before the first French Republic....

 and his second wife Maria Isabella of Spain

Maria Isabella of Spain

María Isabella of Spain was an Infanta of Spain and the Queen of the Two Sicilies. She was the second wife of Francis I and the youngest surviving daughter of the Spanish king Charles IV and his consort Maria Luisa of Parma...

. Charles Ferdinand was a half-brother of Caroline, Duchess of Berry

Princess Caroline of Naples and Sicily

Caroline of Naples and Sicily was the daughter of the future King Francis I of the Two Sicilies and his first wife, Maria Clementina of Austria.-Life:...

 and a full brother of Luisa Carlotta, Duchess of Cadiz, Maria Christina, Queen of Spain

Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies

Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies was Queen consort of Spain and Regent of Spain .-Early years and first marriage:...

, Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies

Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies

Ferdinand II was King of the Two Sicilies from 1830 until his death.-Family:Ferdinand was born in Palermo, the son of King Francis I of the Two Sicilies and his wife and first cousin Maria Isabella of Spain.His paternal grandparents were King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies and Queen Marie...

, Prince Leopold, Count of Syracuse, Prince Antonio, Count of Lecce, Infanta Maria Amalia of Portugal and Spain, Maria Carolina, Countess of Montemolin, Teresa Cristina, Empress of Brazil, and Prince Francis, Count of Trapani

Prince Francis, Count of Trapani

Francis of the Two Sicilies, Count of Trapani was a member of the House of the Two Sicilies.-Family:...

.

Marriage and issue

On 12 March 1836 Charles Ferdinand's brother, King Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies

Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies

Ferdinand II was King of the Two Sicilies from 1830 until his death.-Family:Ferdinand was born in Palermo, the son of King Francis I of the Two Sicilies and his wife and first cousin Maria Isabella of Spain.His paternal grandparents were King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies and Queen Marie...

, issued a decree upholding the 1829 decision of the brothers' late father King Francis I of the Two Sicilies

Francis I of the Two Sicilies

-Biography:Francis was born in Naples, the son of Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies and his wife Archduchess Maria Carolina of Austria. He was also the nephew of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI the last King and Queen of France before the first French Republic....

 that members of the blood-royal of the kingdom, whatever their age, are required to obtain the consent of the sovereign to marry and that marriages made without this consent should be deemed to be null and void.

It is reported that Charles Ferdinand married morganatically

Morganatic marriage

In the context of European royalty, a morganatic marriage is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which prevents the passage of the husband's titles and privileges to the wife and any children born of the marriage...

 Penelope Smyth, daughter of Grice Smyth, on 5 April 1836 in Gretna Green

Gretna Green

Gretna Green is a village in the south of Scotland famous for runaway weddings. It is in Dumfries and Galloway, near the mouth of the River Esk and was historically the first village in Scotland, following the old coaching route from London to Edinburgh. Gretna Green has a railway station serving...

, Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

, United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

.

However, Charles Ferdinand applied for a Special Marriage Licence from the Archbishop of Canterbury in order to marry (or re-marry) Miss Smyth at St George's, Hanover Square. In the court order they are described as a bachelor and a spinster respectively. The King's Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Count de Ludolf, objected to the grant of the licence and a hearing took place in the Court of Faculties on 4 May 1836. The Master of the Faculties

Master of the Faculties

The Master of the Faculties is a functionary in the office of the Archbishop of Canterbury and has some important powers in English law, in particular the appointment and regulation of public notaries. The position is always held by the Dean of Arches....

, Dr John Nicholl

John Iltyd Nicholl

John Nicholl was a Welsh Member of Parliament and was, for a very short time in 1835, a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury. His father was Sir John Nicholl, who like his son was a judge and politician.-Personal history:...

, refused to grant the licence on the grounds that the royal succession might be affected by the non-recognition of the marriage in Naples. Banns of Marriage

Banns of marriage

The banns of marriage, commonly known simply as the "banns" or "bans" are the public announcement in a Christian parish church of an impending marriage between two specified persons...

 were read for the final time in St George's, Hanover Square on 8 May 1836.

Charles Ferdinand and Penelope had two children:

• Francesco Ferdinando Carlo di Borbone, Conte di Mascali (24 March 1837 – 2 June 1862)
• Vittoria Augusta Lodovica Isabella Amelia Filomena Elena Penelope di Borbone, Contessa di Mascali (15 May 1838 – 9 August 1895)

Titles and styles

• 10 November 1811 – 22 April 1862: His Royal Highness the Prince of Capua

Honours

• Knight of the Order of Saint Januarius
• Knight of the Spanish Order of the Golden Fleece
  Order of the Golden Fleece
  The Order of the Golden Fleece is an order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip III, Duke of Burgundy in 1430, to celebrate his marriage to the Portuguese princess Infanta Isabella of Portugal, daughter of King John I of Portugal. It evolved as one of the most prestigious orders in Europe...
  
   (1826)
• Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Ferdinand and of Merit

Ancestry

See also