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Prince Ferdinand, Duke of Castro

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Prince Ferdinand
Duke of Castro
Head of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (disputed)
Tenure 13 January 1973 – 20 March 2008
Predecessor Prince Ranieri
Successor Prince Carlo
Born 28 May 1926
Podzamcze, Poland
Died 20 March 2008 (aged 81)
Draguignan, France
Spouse Chantal de Chevron-Villette
(m. 1949; died 2005)
Issue Princess Beatrice
Princess Anne
Prince Carlo, Duke of Castro
Names
Ferdinando Maria Andrea Alfonso Marcus di Borbone
House Bourbon-Two Sicilies
Father Prince Ranieri, Duke of Castro
Mother Countess Maria Carolina Zamoyska
Religion Roman Catholic

Prince Ferdinand of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, 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, 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.

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 of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George and the Royal Order of Francis I. He was decorated with several dynastic and state orders.[1]

Ferdinand died in France on 20 March 2008.[2]

Marriage and children

Ferdinand was married in Giez 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 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:
      • Elvire Quérénet-Onfroy de Bréville (born 8 August 2010).
      • Augustin Quérénet-Onfroy de Bréville (born 12 February 2013).
    • Prince Jean-Christophe Bonaparte, The Prince Napoléon (born 11 July 1986) married Countess Olympia von und zu Arco-Zinneberg on 17 October 2019. They had one son:
      • Prince Louis Napoléon (born 7 December 2022).
  • Princess Anne (born 24 April 1957 in Saint-Raphaël) married Baron Jacques Cochin on 9 September 1977 in Roquebrunne-sur-Argens, and has issue; divorced
    • Nicolas Cochin (born in 1979)
    • Dorothée Cochin (born in 1985)
  • Prince Carlo, Duke of Castro (born 24 February 1963 in Saint-Raphaël) married Camilla Crociani on 31 October 1998 in Monte Carlo

As the marriage was initially considered morganatic, Ferdinand’s children were considered ineligible for the throne of Two-Scillies. Following his father's assumption as head of the house, however, he retroactively declared Ferdinand's marriage dynastic and his children eligible for the throne. This was contested by the Calabrian pretenders until 2014.[3]

Honours

Ancestry

References

  1. Back to citation His Royal Highness The Duke of Castro Archived 2008-04-15 at the Wayback Machine
  2. Back to citation Royal House of Borbon
  3. Back to citation "Genealogy of the royal house of Bourbon - Two sicilies" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-12-19.
  4. Back to citation "HRH the Duchess of Calabria invested into the Sovereign Military Order of Malta - Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George". October 2001.
  5. Back to citation "Duke of Castro, Duke of Calabria and Cardinal Pompedda receive highest honours from the President of Panama - Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George". 3 April 2004.
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