Prince Carlo, Duke of Castro
Encyclopedia
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
House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies
The House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies is a cadet Italian branch of the House of Bourbon. It is thus descended from the Capetian dynasty in male line...
.
Early life and education
Carlo was born at Saint-Raphaël, VarSaint-Raphaël, Var
Saint-Raphaël is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.Immediately to the west of Saint-Raphaël lies another, older, town called Fréjus, and together they form an urban agglomeration known as Fréjus Saint-Raphaël...
, France, the only son of Ferdinand, Duke of Castro
Prince Ferdinand, Duke of Castro
Prince Ferdinando of the Two Sicilies was a claimant to the headship of the House of the Two Sicilies. He was known as the Duke of Castro.-Biography:...
, and his wife, Chantal de Chevron-Villette
Chantal de Chevron-Villette
Chantal Françoise Marie Camille de Chevron-Villette was the wife of Prince Ferdinand of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Castro, claimant to the headship of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies...
. He was baptised in France with the names Charles Marie Bernarde Gennaro. He generally uses the Italian form of his name Carlo.
Carlo was educated firstly at the Institute of the Marist
Society of Mary (Marists)
The Society of Mary , is a Roman Catholic religious congregation or order, founded by Father Jean-Claude Colin and a group of other seminarians in France in 1816...
Fathers at Toulon
Toulon
Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....
, France. He went on to study at a namesake of the Collège Stanislas de Paris
Collège Stanislas de Paris
Le Collège Stanislas de Paris is a private Catholic school in Paris, situated on "Rue Notre-Dame-des-Champs" in the Montparnasse arrondissement. It has approximately 3,000 students, and is the largest private school in France....
located in Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
, France. After studying at an international university in Paris, he spent three years working for a public relations firm in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. He is fluent in Italian, French and English.
Headship of the House of Bourbon Two Sicilies
In 2008, Carlo succeeded his father as claimant to the headship of the House of the Two Sicilies. As head of the house, he uses the title Duke of Castro.Carlo's supporters state that since his grandfather's brother Infante Carlos
Infante Carlos, Duke of Calabria
Infante Carlos of Spain, Prince of the Two Sicilies, Duke of Calabria, KOGF, KGCHS is the son of Don Alfonso of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Calabria and Princess Alicia of Bourbon-Parma .-Biography:Infante Carlos is one of two claimants of the dignity of...
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
Prince Ranieri, Duke of Castro
Prince Ranieri Maria Gaetano, Duke of Castro was a claimant to the headship of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.-Biography:...
, then to Carlo's father Ferdinand, Duke of Castro
Prince Ferdinand, Duke of Castro
Prince Ferdinando of the Two Sicilies was a claimant to the headship of the House of the Two Sicilies. He was known as the Duke of Castro.-Biography:...
, and most recently to Carlo. Infante Carlos
Infante Carlos, Duke of Calabria
Infante Carlos of Spain, Prince of the Two Sicilies, Duke of Calabria, KOGF, KGCHS is the son of Don Alfonso of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Calabria and Princess Alicia of Bourbon-Parma .-Biography:Infante Carlos is one of two claimants of the dignity of...
's claims to be the Duke of Calabria
Duke of Calabria
Duke of Calabria was the traditional title of the heir apparent of the Kingdom of Naples after the accession of Robert of Naples. It was also adopted by the heads of certain Houses that had once claimed the Kingdom of Naples in lieu of the royal title....
and head of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies are recognized by the Spanish king Juan Carlos of Spain (since they are cousins), while the other royal families (and all others Bourbon-Two Sicilies members) recognize the Castro claim.
Carlo claims the disputed Grand Mastership of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George
Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George
The Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George is a Roman Catholic order of chivalry. It was fictively established by Constantine the Great, though in reality it was founded between 1520 and 1545 by two brothers of the Angeli Comneni family. Members of the Angeli Comneni family remained...
, the Order of Saint Ferdinand and Merit
Order of Saint Ferdinand and Merit
The Illustrious Royal Order of St. Ferdinand and Merit is an order of knighthood of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.It was established on 1 April 1800 by Ferdinand IV of Naples and III Sicily to award those who did important deeds and gave proof of loyalty to the Head of the Royal House and to the...
, the Order of St. Januarius
Order of St. Januarius
The Illustrious Royal Order of Saint Januarius is an order of knighthood bestowed by the head of the Royal House of Bourbon of the Two Sicilies...
, the Order of Saint George and Reunion
Order of Saint George and Reunion
The Order of Saint George and Reunion is a order of knighthood of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.It was created on 1 January 1819 by Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies to reward military valor and merit...
, and the Royal Order of Francis I
Royal Order of Francis I
The Royal Order of Francis I is a dynastic Order of Knighthood of the Royal House of Bourbon Two Sicilies...
.
Orders and decorations
Carlo has been decorated with a number of dynastic and state honours. They include:- Knight Grand Cross of Merit of the Italian Republic – Italian Republic.
- Bailiff Knight Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion – Sovereign Military Order of Malta.
- Knight Grand Cross of the Equestrian Order of Saint Agatha – Republic of San Marino.
- Syrian Order of Outstanding Merit (First Class) – Syrian Arab Republic.
- Lebanese Order of Merit (Extraordinary Class) – Lebanese Republic.
- Order of Unification – 22 May (First Class with Collar) – Republic of Yemen.
- Knight Grand Cross of the National Order of Juan Mora Fernandez – Republic of Costa Rica.
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Vasco Nunez Balboa – Republic of Panama
- Knight Grand Cross with Silver Star of the Royal Order of Danilo I – Royal House of Montenegro.
- Knight Grand Cross of the Patriarchal Order of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem – Melkite Greek Catholic Church.
In October 2011, the Duke of Castro was granted the Freedom of the City of London.
Marriage and issue
Carlo is married to Camilla Crociani.They have two children:
- Princess Maria-Carolina Chantal Edoarda Beatrice Januaria of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (born in Rome in 2003)
- Princess Maria Chiara Amalia Carola Louise Carmen of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (born in Rome 2005)
Royal Godfather
On 14 April 2011, the Duke and Duchess of Castro attended the joint christening of Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark's twin children, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine at the chapel of the Church of Holmen in Copenhagen, Denmark. Carlo is one of six godparents to Princess JosephinePrincess Josephine of Denmark
Princess Josephine Sophia Ivalo Mathilda of Denmark, Countess of Monpezat , is a member of the Danish Royal Family. She is the fourth and youngest child of Crown Prince Frederik and his wife, the Australian-born Crown Princess Mary, and the seventh and youngest grandchild of Queen Margrethe II of...
. The Duke of Castro is also a godfather of Prince Gaston of Orléans.
Titles from birth
- 24 February 1963 13 January 1973 His Royal Highness The Duke of Noto
- 13 January 1973 20 March 2008 His Royal Highness The Duke of Calabria
- 20 March 2008 present His Royal Highness The Duke of Castro