On the occasion of the Fiftieth (50th) Anniversary of the passing of His Royal Highness, Prince Ranieri of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, XVI Duke of Castro, Head of the Royal House and Grand Master of the Dynastic Orders, son of H.R.H. Prince Alfonso of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Count of Caserta, brother of the last King of the Two Sicilies, His Majesty, King Francis II, and Her Royal Highness Princess Maria Antonietta of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, His Royal Highness, Prince Carlo of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, XVIII Duke of Castro, Head of the Royal House and Grand Master, wishes to honor his memory.
Prince Ranieri, who had been universally recognized as Head of the Royal Family, and Grand Master of the Dynastic Orders in 1960, following the death of his brother, Prince Ferdinando Pio, assumed the title of Duke of Castro, assigned to the Head of the Family. Born in Cannes (France), on December 3, 1883, he served in the Royal Armada (Navy), and in 1923 married his cousin, Countess Maria Carolina Zamoyska of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. During the course of his life, he generously supported many charitable associations, and in 1962, presided over the translation of the mortal remains of some members of the Royal Family who had died in exile, to the Church of Santa Chiara (Saint Clare) in Naples.
Worthy of note were his promulgation of the new Statutes of the Order on June 17, 1965; on the same date he also published his Magistral Decree on Heraldic Norms and the Regulations for admission to the Order.
The obsequies of H.R.H. Prince Ranieri of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, who died on January 13, 1973 in Lacombe (France), took place on January 18 in the Church of Notre-Dame de Bon Voyage (Our Lady of Good Voyage) in Cannes, with the blessing of His Holiness, Pope Paul VI.
Many illustrious personages shared in the sorrow of the Royal Family, united around H.R.H. Prince Ferdinand, XVII Duke of Castro and Grand Master, among them were: Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom; Her Majesty, Queen Juliana of the Netherlands; His Most Eminent Highness, Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Fra’ Angelo de Mojana di Cologna; Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Luxembourg; His Majesty, King Umberto II of Italy and his sister, Her Royal Highness, Princess Maria of Bourbon-Parma; His Majesty, King Simon of Bulgaria; Their Imperial and Royal Highnesses, Prince Otto of Habsburg-Lorraine, Princess Pia Mia of Orléans-Braganza, Archduke Gottfried and Archduchess Dorothea (of Austria) of Habsburg-Lorraine, Grand Duke of Tuscany; Their Royal Highnesses, the Count and Countess of Barcelona; Their Royal Highnesses the Count and Countess of Paris; Their Royal Highnesses, the Prince and Princess Juan Carlos of Spain (later the King and Queen of Spain), Her Royal Highness, the Duchess of Württemberg; His Royal Highness, the Duke of Segovia; His Royal Highness, Prince Xavier of Bourbon-Parma; His Royal Highness, Prince Ludwig of Bavaria; His Royal Highness, Prince Antonio of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (son of H.R.H. Prince Gabriel); His Royal Highness, Prince Irakli Bagration of Mukhrani; and His Serene Highness, Prince Jerzy Lubomirski.
