Princess Maria Carolina of Bourbon Two Sicilies

Prince Carlo of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Castro (born 24 February 1963) is one of the two claimants to the headship of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.

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.

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

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

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. 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. To date, this has been the only public official investigation devoted to resolving the matter, and thus the Kingdom of Spain recognises Prince Pedro as the rightful heir to the throne of the Two-Sicilies.

•  Dominica: Meritorious Service award
•  Italy: Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
•  Sovereign Military Order of Malta: Bailiff Knight Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, 3rd First Class
•  Syria: Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit

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.

Awards

•  United Kingdom: Freedom of the City of London
•  United Kingdom: Companion of the Order of Mercy