Duke of Castro adopts gender equal succession

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Duke of Castro abolishes Salic Law.

The Royal House of Bourbon Two Sicilies would like to make the following announcement:
His Royal Highness Prince Charles of Bourbon Two Sicilies, Duke of Castro, Head of the Royal House makes public his decision to change the rules of succession which have thus far been in force in the House of Bourbon Two Sicilies in order to make them compatible with international and European law which prohibits any discrimination between men and women, not only in the enjoyment of their rights and freedoms but also in the exercise of public office of any kind.
The rule of absolute primogeniture will henceforth apply to his direct descendants.
The official Act is as follows:
WE, Charles of Bourbon Two Sicilies, Duke of Castro, Head of the Royal House of Bourbon Two Sicilies, Grand Master of the Dynastic Orders; Whereas the Royal Families of Europe currently ruling have finally abandoned, in order to comply with the principle of equality between men and women as part of the foundation of international and European law, the principle called the "Salic law", which excludes daughters from the order of succession, the majority of them have adopted the rule of succession of absolute primogeniture;
Whereas the Real House of Bourbon Two Sicilies must, if it aspires to be able to claim to recover its sovereignty and to exercise it in accordance with the law and the principles recognized by the International community, hereby adopts in turn a rule of succession which conforms to this law;
WE decide:
Article 1: The order of hereditary succession to the Royal House of Bourbon of Two Sicilies is amended with the aim of introducing a strict equality between men and women.
Article 2: The principle of absolute primogeniture is replaced in any rule of former succession.
Article 3: This new order of succession is applicable for the first time to our descendants.
Article 4: The rules and statutes of all dynastic orders referring to the Royal House of Bourbon Two Sicilies will be amended accordingly.

Rome, 12 May 2016

This sounds like the Duke of Castro has reneged on his agreement with the Duke of Calabria regarding the reconciliation of the two branches of the Bourbon-Two Sicilies family.

By making this declaration,  the Duke makes it clear that the Bourbon-Two Sicilies dynasty, which was established by the Treaty of Vienna (1737), the Treaty of Naples (1759) and the Pragmatic Decree of Carlos III (1759.)  The succession was also defined by the Constitution of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, which remained in force until 1861, following Two Sicilies joining the new Italian state.

There are also religious issues as the succession to Grand Mastership of the Constantinian Order has been governed by the Papal Brief Sincerare Fidei of 1699 and Roman Catholic canon law.   The Roman Catholic Church is unlikely to change its rules to allow women to become priests or bishops, which means that a woman cannot become the head of the Constantinian Order.

From what I understand, only the Pope can change the succession to the Grand Mastership of the Order.  This appears unlikely.

The Duke of Calabria remains bound to the agreement signed in Naples in January 2014, a story that I broke here on Royal Musings.

http://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2014/01/royal-musings-exclusive-reconciliation.html


The announcement was made following the confirmation of the Duke of Castro's two daughters, Princess Maria Carolina, Duchess of Palermo, and Princess Maria Chiara, Duchess of Capri.    Maria Carolina will celebrate her 13th birthday in June.  Maria Chiara was 11 in January.

http://constantinianorderusa.org/news/