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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)
Tenure13 January 1973 – 20 March 2008
PredecessorPrince Ranieri
SuccessorPrince Carlo
Born(1926-05-28)28 May 1926
Podzamcze, Poland
Died20 March 2008(2008-03-20) (aged 81)
Draguignan, France
Spouse
Chantal de Chevron-Villette
(m. 1949; died 2005)
IssuePrincess Beatrice
Princess Anne
Prince Carlo, Duke of Castro
Names
Ferdinando Maria Andrea Alfonso Marcus di Borbone
HouseBourbon-Two Sicilies
FatherPrince Ranieri, Duke of Castro
MotherCountess Maria Carolina Zamoyska
ReligionRoman 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

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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

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Ferdinand was married in Giez on 23 July 1949 to Chantal de Chevron-Villette (1925–2005), and they had three children:

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

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Ancestry

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References

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  1. ^ His Royal Highness The Duke of Castro Archived 2008-04-15 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Royal House of Borbon
  3. ^ http://www.borbone-due-sicilie.org/downloads/genealogy-of-the-royal-house-of-bourbo1.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  4. ^ "HRH the Duchess of Calabria invested into the Sovereign Military Order of Malta - Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George". October 2001.
  5. ^ "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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Prince Ferdinand, Duke of Castro
Cadet branch of the House of Bourbon
Born: 28 May 1926 Died: 20 March 2008
Italian nobility
Preceded by Duke of Castro
13 January 1973 – 20 March 2008
Succeeded by
Titles in pretence
Preceded by — TITULAR —
King of the Two Sicilies
13 January 1973 – 20 March 2008
Reason for succession failure:
Italian Unification under the House of Savoy
Succeeded by

See also

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