News & Press Notes

Naples – January 2014. TRH Prince Charles and Princess Camilla of Bourbon Two Sicilies, Duke and Duchess of Castro, together with other senior members of the Neapolitan Royal Family attended the Beatification of Queen Maria Cristina of Savoy.
Queen Maria Cristina of the Two Sicilies, born in 1812 was the daughter of King Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia and Archduchess Maria Teresa of Austria-Este, Maria Cristina married King Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies in 1832. The Queen died aged 24 in 1836 following the birth of their only child who later became the last reigning King of the Two Sicilies, Francis II.
The Pontifical event took place at the historic Basilica of Santa Chiara in the heart of the Naples, the historic capital city of the former Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Several thousands of people attending this moving event which united for the first time in 50 years the principal branches of the Bourbon Two Sicilies dynasty lead by HRH The Duke of Castro in Italy and HRH The Duke of Calabria in Spain.
The Holy Father, Pope Francis who approved the beatification on 2 May 2013, was represented at the mass by HE Angelo Cardinal Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. HE Crescenzio Cardinal Sepe, Archbishop of Naples was celebrant and HE Renato Raffaele Cardinal Martino, Grand Prior of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St George was also present.
In his homily at the Mass of beatification, Cardinal Amato outlined the reasons for the beatification – the Queen’s innocence, modesty, and mortification with respect to food and entertainment, as well as her love for the poor and sick. All Christians, the prelate emphasised, are given opportunities to become holy, whatever their state of life.
Following his Sunday Angelus address at the Vatican, Pope Francis described Queen Maria Cristina as a “woman of deep spirituality and great humility. She was able to bear the suffering of her people, becoming a true mother of the poor,” he added. “Her extraordinary example of charity shows that the good life of the Gospel is possible in every environment and social status.”
TRH The Duke and Duchess of Castro and TRH Prince Pedro and Princess Sofia of Bourbon Two Sicilies, Duke and Duchess of Noto, attended together the Beatification with other senior members of the Bourbon Two Sicilies Family including HRH Princess Ana of Bourbon Two Sicilies, Duchess of Calabria, HRH Prince Jaime of Bourbon Two Sicilies, Duke of Capua, HRH Princess Maria Carolina of Bourbon Two Sicilies, Duchess of Palermo, HRH Princess Maria Chiara of Bourbon Two Sicilies, Duchess of Capri, HRH Princess Beatrice of Bourbon Two Sicilies, TRH Prince and Princess Casimiro of Bourbon Two Sicilies TI & RH Archduke and Archduchess Simeon of Austria, HI & RH Archduke Martin of Austria, HRH Princess Ines de Borbon Dos Sicilias de Carelli Palombi, HRH Prince Luigi Alfonso of Bourbon Two Sicilies and the Rev Alessandro di Borbone-Due Sicilie, HRH Princess Caroline of Bourbon Two Sicilies and HRH Princess Maria Annunziata of Bourbon Two Sicilies.
Among members of other European Families present were HRH The Duke of Braganza, HRH Princess Clotide Princess of Venice and Piedmont, HRH Princess Maria Gabriella of Savoy, TRH The Duke and Duchess of Aosta, HRH Prince Serge of Yugoslavia and HSH Princess Marie-Therese von Hohenberg Mrs Anthony Bailey.
The senior representatives from both the Italian and Spanish branches of the Constantinian Order were also present.
Following the beatification ceremony the Duke and Duchess of Castro and Duke and Duchess of Noto together with other senior members of the Bourbon Two Sicilies dynasty paid homage at the tomb of the Blessed Queen Maria Cristina situated within the Royal Chapel within the Basilica situated close to the main altar which bears the remains of the Neapolitan monarchs and other members Bourbon Two Sicilies dynasty.
HRH The Duchess of Castro offered the flower decorations throughout the Basilica of Santa Chiara. Pink and white roses, wallflowers, lisianthus and lilies, carnations and green and white daisies were artistically arranged around the sanctuary and the tomb of the Blessed in the Chapel of the Royal Burial by the expert hands of the Ladies of the Garden Club of Caserta.
Their Royal Highnesses further supported the Basilica by the erection of eight large flat screens set up along the aisle of the immense Basilica of Santa Chiara which allowed the entire ceremony, filmed by three cameras, to be viewed by the faithful who filled what is one of the largest Gothic building in Europe.
The principal guests also attended a reception held in the cloisters of the Bascilia and the Duke and Duchess greeted many of their supporters who had gathered at the Basilica for this truly historic day.
To download a list of the principal guests click here.
To download the text of the Homily of HE Crescenzio Cardinal Sepe click here.
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Rome – December 2013. HRH Prince Charles of Bourbon Two Sicilies, Duke of Castro and Grand Master of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St George was further honoured by the Sovereign Military Order of Malta at a ceremony hosted by the Prince and Grand Master of the Order of Malta, HMEH Frà Matthew Festing at the Magistral Palace in Rome. HRH Princess Camilla of Bourbon Two Sicilies, Duchess of Castro and His Eminence Paolo Cardinal Sardi, Cardinal Patronus of the Order of Malta were also present§ during the occasion.

The Duke of Castro, a Bailiff Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion since 2003 and a member of the Order of Malta since 1983, was invested by Grand Master Frà Festing with the insignia of a Grand Cross Special Class of the Order pro Merito Melitensi.

In his address Frà Festing said “The ceremony of today is the latest token of the warm and cordial ties which have existed for centuries between the Royal House of Bourbon Two Sicilies and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta….The Affinity between your family and our Order is also reflected in the friendly ties between the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St George and the Order of Malta. This is the result of our shared ideals which are aimed at providing assistance to the sick and the poor as an expression of our Faith and by alleviating the suffering of the victims of violence and natural disasters”.

In his speech the Duke of Castro thanked the Prince and Grand Master for this further recognition and remarked, “Our warm friendship, on a personal and institutional level, is one which I greatly value. The many centuries of cordial and brotherly relations between our two Orders are well known and appreciated…. And the fact that our respective Orders share members of both sides is also indicative of our shared commitment to serving the Universal Catholic Church, both on the national and international level”.

Following the ceremony, an official lunch was held in honour of the Duke and Duchess of Castro hosted by HMEH Frà Matthew Festing. Among those attending were HE the Venerable Bailiff Fra’ Carlo d’Ippolito di Sant’Ippolito, Grand Commander, HE Jean-Pierre Mazery, Grand Chancellor, HE Albrecht Freiherr von Boeselager, Grand Hospitalier, HE Marchese Gian Luca Chiavari, Receiver of the Common Treasure, and other members of the Sovereign Council of the Order of Malta including HE Frà John Dunlap, HE Frà Duncan Gallie, HE Frà Emmanuel Rousseau and HE Gian Luigi Magliocco di Brugneto.

The Prelate of the Order of Malta H.E. Monsignor Angelo Acerbi also attended together with HE Ambassador Alberto Leoncini Bartoli, Diplomatic Counsellor, HE Ambassador Barone Giulio di Lorenzo Badia, Diplomatic Counsellor, HE Ambassador Marchese Luigi Solari, Diplomatic Counsellor and Count Janos Esterhazy de Galantha, Secretary General of the Common Treasure.

The Grand Magistry of the Constantinian Order was represented by HE Ambassador Nobile Guiseppe Balboni Acqua, Secretary General, HE Prince Don Sforza Ruspoli, Prince of Cerveteri, Delegate of Rome and Lazio and HE Mr Anthony Bailey, Grand Magistral Delegate for Inter-Religious Relations and Delegate for Great Britain and Ireland.

To download the speech of HMEH Frà Matthew Festing click here.

To download the speech of the HRH The Duke of Castro click here.

To download the diploma click here.

For more information on the Sovereign Military Order of Malta please visit www.orderofmalta.int

Vatican City – December 2013. HRH Prince Charles of Bourbon Two Sicilies, Duke of Castro and Grand Master of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St George was received by His Holiness Pope Francis during an audience held in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace of the Vatican City.

The audience was held to mark the 5th anniversary of Dignitatis Humanae Institute which HRH The Duke of Castro is Patron and which the Constantinian Order and several members of the Order’s British, Irish and Italian delegations are Fellows or supporters.

During the hour long audience the Duke of Castro presented the Holy Father with a DVD of a new documentary produced by the Constantinian Order entitled ‘In Hoc Signo Vinces – Il Labaro Costantiniano 1700 anni di storia’ which outlines the history of Emperor Constantine’s ‘Edict of Milan’ and which celebrated its 1700th anniversary in 2013.

HRH Princess Camilla of Bourbon Two Sicilies, Duchess of Castro, was also received by Pope Francis and presented the Holy Father with the first copy of a limited edition book entitled “Iconografia Dell’Angelico Sagro e Militar Ordine Costantiniano di S. Giorgio dedicata alla Sacra Real Maestà di Ferdinando IV, Re delle Due Sicilie, Gran Maestro Dell’Ordine”. The book outlines illustratively the history of the Constantinian Order.

His Eminence Renato Raffaele Cardinal Martino, Grand Prior of the Constantinian Order and Honorary President of the Dignitatis Humanae Institute was in attendance together with other members of the Sacred College of Cardinals and Vatican City officials.

Among other Order members attending and received by the Holy Father were Mrs Eduarda Crociani Vesel, mother of HRH The Duchess of Castro, HE Ambassador Nobile Giuseppe Balboni Acqua, Secretary General of the Royal House and former Italian Ambassador to the Holy See, HE Mr Anthony Bailey, Delegate for Great Britain and Grand Magistral Delegate for Inter-Religious Relations and Fellow of the Dignitatis Humanae Institute, Professor Roberto de Mattei, Cyril and Lorna Woods of Slane, Mr Nirj Deva DL, MEP, the Rev Fr Michael Seed, SA, Prof David Khalili, and Mr John Kennedy CBE DL.

The Dignitatis Humanae Institute is an international response to the rising militant anti-Christian secularism seen throughout the West today. It exists to promote the Gospel in the political sphere, through upholding and strengthening the Judaeo-Christian tenets of Western culture, always with respect and tolerance for those of different faith. It is inspired by Catholic Social Teaching and is ecumenical in composition.

The Dignitatis Humanae Institute has three main objectives. The first is to promote recognition of the reality that Man is made in the image and likeness of God. The second is to insist that this image and likeness is present in every single human person from conception until natural death. The third is to suggest with humility that the best means of authentically promoting this recognition is through the active participation of engaged Christians on the public stage.

The Holy Father highlighted to the audience what is at stake if we fail in our mission, warning of a modern-day “throwaway culture” that threatens to become the dominant mentality:

“The victims of such a culture are precisely the weakest and most fragile human beings – the unborn, the poorest people, sick elderly people, gravely disabled people… who are in danger of being “thrown out,” expelled from a machine that must be efficient at all costs. This false model of man and society embodies a practical atheism, de facto negating the Word of God that says: ‘Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness.”

To download a copy of the Holy Father’s speech click here.

For more information on the Institute please visit www.dignitatishumanae.com

Tirana- December 2013. His Excellency Lulzim Basha, Mayor of the City of Tirana, presented the highest municipal award of the Albanian capital city – the ‘Gratitude of Tirana’ – to HRH Prince Charles of Bourbon Two Sicilies, Duke of Castro and HE Renato Raffaele Cardinal Martino.

The citation to HRH The Duke of Castro which was read out by Mayor Basha said: “The Gratitude of Tirana is awarded to His Royal Highness Prince Charles of Bourbon Two Sicilies, Duke of Castro and Grand Master, in recognition of his personal merits and those of the internationally recognised Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George which over many centuries has fostered the growth of religious, charitable, humanitarian and hospitaller assistance to those most in need across the world. This award is made conscious of the historic ties which exist between Albania and southern Italy since the time of Albania’s national hero Skanderbeg, and as a mark of esteem and illustration of the high regard which the City of Tirana holds for your ancient office as Grand Master and as Head of the Royal House of Naples. This award further recognises the contribution you have made and will make to furthering more meaningful and mutually beneficial relations between our two institutions and our two noble peoples and nations.”

The citation to HE Cardinal Martino which was read out by Mayor Basha said: “The Gratitude of Tirana is awarded to His Eminence Renato Raffaele Cardinal Martino, On the Second Day of December, Two Thousand and Thirteen, in recognition of his personal merits and those in his capacity as Cardinal Grand Prior of the internationally recognised Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George which over many centuries has fostered the growth of religious, charitable, humanitarian and hospitaller assistance to those in need across the world. This award further recognises his lifetime global contribution to justice and peace in his capacity as President Emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace for the Holy See and as the Holy See’s representative for over nineteen years at the United Nations. This award recognises the contribution Cardinal Martino has made and will make to furthering more meaningful and deeper relations between the Christian, Muslim and Jewish faith communities of Albania, Italy and the wider world.”

The hour long visit which included private talks before the ceremony was held at City Hall in the centre of Tirana and was attended by senior City officials including the Mayor, Deputy Mayors and other departmental chiefs.

During the talks the Mayor thanked the Constantinian Order for its charitable and humanitarian support in Tirana over the past 10 years and especially for its global activities in inter-religious matters.

Among previous recipients of this award were: Hillary Clinton, Feim Ibrahimi, Lord Mayor of London Sir David Gifford, Johanna Neumann and the Emir of Qatar.

Following the ceremony a formal lunch hosted by the Mayor of Tirana in honour of the delegation took placer at ABA 21 restaurant. Among those attending were HE Mr. Lulzim Basha, Mayor of Tirana, HRH Crown Prince Leka Zogu II, Deputy Mayor Mrs. Nevila Xhindi, Deputy Mayor Mr Enno Bozdo, Mr Etion Kapedani, General Administrator, Mrs Greta Deljani Chief of Staff.

Among those attending from the Constantinian Order were HRH The Duke of Castro, HE Renato Raffaele Cardinal Martino, HE Ambassador Nobile Giuseppe Balboni Acqua, Secretary General of the Royal House, HE Mr Anthony Bailey, Delegate for Great Britain & Ireland and Grand Magistral Delegate for Inter-Religious Relations, Dr Alberto Janelli, Private Secretary to HRH The Duke of Castro and delegation members Cyril and Lorna Woods of Slane and Mr and Mrs Nadhmi Auchi.

The Ambassadors of the Italy, United Kingdom and Hungary accredited to and resident in the Republic of Albania were also present.

To download the Speech of HRH The Duke of Castro click here.

To download the Speech of HE Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino click here.

Tirana – December 2013. On the occasion of the visit to Albania of the Grand Master and Grand Prior, His Excellency Mr Bujar Nishani, President of the Republic of Albania, held an investiture ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Tirana. This event celebrated the centuries old historic ties between Albania and the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St George and the Royal House of Naples.

HRH Prince Charles of Bourbon Two Sicilies, Duke of Castro, was presented with Albania’s highest national honour – the Order of George Kastrioti Scanderbeg ‘In high recognition of his rich social, philanthropic and humanitarian activity and for his conspicuous and successful personal engagement in administering charitable, humanitarian and spiritual activity of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George’.

HE Renato Raffaele Cardinal Martino received the Order of George Kastrioti Scanderbeg “In recognition of his rich and successful career, of the unceasing activity and immense human and intellectual courage in service of peace, justice and fight against violence everywhere in the world.”

HRH Princess Camilla of Bourbon of Two Sicilies, Duchess of Castro was awarded The Order of Mother Teresa “For her notable humanitarian and charitable acts. A distinguished figure that has continuously supported the charitable and humanitarian associations and institutions including UNICEF and Red Cross.”

The Constantinian delegation also received the following awards: HE Ambassador Giuseppe Balboni Acqua and HE Mr Anthony Bailey were awarded The Order of George Kastrioti Scanderbeg, HSH Princess Marie-Therese von Hohenberg Mrs Anthony Bailey was awarded The Order of Mother Teresa, and Mr Nadhmi Auchi and Cyril Woods, Baron of Slane was awarded The Order for Special Civil Merits.

Many national state, religious, municipal, parliamentary and diplomatic personalities witnessed the occasion.

Before the ceremony HRH The Duke of Castro, HE Cardinal Martino, HE Ambassador Balboni Acqua and HE Anthony Bailey attended a private meeting and talks with the Albanian Head of State, the First Lady and their key advisers.

Following the ceremony an official dinner was held at the “Sofra e Ariut” traditional restaurant in honour of the Constantinian Order delegation which was attended by over 100 persons including the President and First Lady of Albania, the Mayor of Tirana, HRH Crown Prince Leka II Zogu, Members of Parliament, religious leaders, ambassadors and heads of international NGO’s. Delegate Anthony Bailey offered a Vote of Thanks at the conclusion of the dinner on behalf of the Constantinian Order.

To download the Speech of HE Mr Bujar Nishani, President of the Republic of Albania click here.

To download the Speech of HRH The Duke of Castro click here.

To download the Speech of HE Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino click here.