Prince Ranieri, Duke of Castro
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Prince Ranieri, Duke of Castro (3 December 1883-13 January 1973) was a claimant to the headship of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.
He was born in Cannes, France the ninth child but fifth son of Prince Alfonso, Count of Caserta and Princess Antonietta of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1851-1938). After serving in the Royal Spanish Army, Ranieri married his cousin Countess Carolina Zamoyska (1896-1968) on 12 September 1923 in Druzbaki, from the marriage he had two children:
- Princess Maria of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (born 1924)
- Prince Ferdinand Maria, Duke of Castro (born 1926)
Following the death of his brother Prince Ferdinando Pius, Duke of Calabria on the 7 January 1960 Prince Ranieri was declared Head of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies by all relatives except for Infante Alfonso, Duke of Calabria and his children, due to the fact that the Infante's senior branch of the family abdicated their claims in order to be in line for the Spanish throne. He remained head of the house until 1966 when he had abdicated as head the house in favour of his son Prince Ferdinand Maria, he died on the 13 January 1973 in La Combe.
Preceded by Ferdinando Pius |
Head of the Royal House of Two Sicilies (Castro line) 1960-1966 |
Succeeded by Ferdinand Maria |