For centuries, France had been the are of the Bourbon royal family
Nowadays it is a beloved place for holidays, for many royals from all over Europe.
I would like to take you to the Côte d'Azur, to Saint Tropez Castle.
Where Charles and Camilla will welcome us.
Very nice to meet you.
- Welcome Thank you
R: This is what you call home? Yes, Saint Tropez Home.
Especially in Summer, but
yes, we share our lives between Italy, Monaco and Paris.
It might be a little complicated, but yes,
this is also Prince Charles and Princess Camilla.
The Prince and Princess are on the head of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.
If history went differently, they would have been King and Queen
of the Kingdom of Sicily, roughly the Southern part of Italy.
Their daughters, Maria Carolina and Maria Chiara
travel with their parents over the world
a life that's about the future
and the special family history.
My branch descents of the French Bourbons. So it's an old family
as you know. It started with Hugh Capet
The Bourbon family reigned in France, in Spain, ...
southern Italy, in Parma, in Luxembourg
and at that time the marriages were kind
of geopolitical marriages so we have
been related and we have many
many cousins through Europe
throughout Europe because of those
marriages. So in the end we are all
calling each other or 'dear uncle' or 'dear
aunt' or 'dear cousin' and that's it.
Queen Victoria used to say all the
royal families are one big family
That's why she was actually called the
grandmother of Europe.
How was it for you to become part of a royal family?
Well, when I met my husband, this is already over 20 years ago now,
I've had the big honor to
become part of this
Family that has ofcourse over a thousand years of history
course over a thousand years of history
I have to tell you it has not always been a trivial thing
You feel you have to be up to the standards of the great history that is behind...
....this important family and it's not
always been very easy. But through the
love of my husband through the example
of my parents-in-law and the education I
had of course received from my own
family I believe that slowly I have
learned and and and I've tried my best
to to become an integral part of of the family.
What is the biggest thing you've
learned from your father-in-law?
He has taught me a lot of things protocol wise
he has taught me a lot of what the
connections are between the families.
Who is who? Of course I was new to this world
I come from a business world and to know
who is married to who which family comes
with which family it's very complicated
when you when you start off it's not an
easy thing.
Your family was there for you, but was it difficult
to integrate in that royal world?
It was not difficult actually
because the royal world is made
of families and of people that see each
other quite often and who have the same
values. we everybody knows we have the
same obligations or similar, often same
values. Often children like to play
together so that that's not...
No it was easy. It was actually
interesting. I have felt immediately very cared about
Of course there are some royal families
which we get along better than others which were closer than others.
For example the royal family of
Belgium, the royal family of Denmark and
the royal family of Holland of course
the Queen Máxima mean what to say about her
She's fantastic. I mean, I simply
admire her enormous. I mean that's
simply a queen who was who was given an
example to all of us on how you can
integrate yourself on how you can
be a role, a great mother, a great wife
a great support for the king. Aand I cannot
say how much I look up and I try to
learn. Because they are are examples.
Examples for my daughters examples for
me, to look up to them.
But there is one royal who really has
a special place in the hearts of Charles and Camilla.
It's Prince Albert, who once introduced the two to each other.
It was a very happy marriage that we've
done in Monte Carlo. Because Prince
Albert of Monaco was our witness...
My marriage witness and he
was actually the person who introduced
many years ago, over twenty
years ago and it's really thanks to him
that we met. And here we are.
Now after 20 years.
You've got two gorgeous daughters. And there is
something new also, because previously
only male descendants were allowed to
take over the throne. You changed your House law.
It was an important decision but it's
something that most of the families did
already and
with many example of this. It really felt
that was the right time to do that.
Today, women and man I really believe we have
come to a moment in life, in time, that
they are equal, so there was really no
reason for our daughters not to take
over the obligations and the duties that
one will be one day her duties of course.
Does she really have a choice of her future?
I don't think it's an easy job
I really don't and I don't think it's
something that you choose. I actually
believe you should take this adventure
of life as a huge honor that it's given
to you to come from a family that has
such an important background in the
history of Europe and I believe that my
daughter has since a very young age
been brought up with that kind of
education that her life does not
somehow really only belong to her,
because she also represents an
important historical... I call it with her
luggage in simple terms. But an important
historical aspect of all things. Anyway it
doesn't mean... She just to go to
do a nice study
first of all. Yes. Then for a career you
know it if she has a career a different
career: it's something plus. She'll
have to take care of this historical
side anyway.
Your eldest daughter wants to become a movie star
Well... well.... you shouldn't be laughing
Yes indeed. She should be doing what she
wants to do one day, because every person
has the right to do what they feel
What is important is that whatever field
you choose, you do it as best. Hard work...
honesty, family life...
loyalty... and also to be open to helping
others who are in need and all of those
values should give her enough strength
to be - yes Carolina or my other daughter
Chiara - yes, but also to represent
hopefully the family as best as she would
be able to. I think that the idea is
to start very early so that everything
looks very very normal and you give the
best of yourself after. It's strategy.
You are saying that we need to have a normal
life to do a abnormal things? Yes but they
have a very normal life. Yes they don't
go to school and a lot of people say:
"Why don't they go to school?" Actually it's
not really been a choice. It's been more
something that is part of our life and
it's completely... For us it was something
that we started off because we travel so
much and the only way to really be
with them was to bring them along
with tutors. And sometimes we
thought we were leaving for a week and
we had to postpone the return because
new things have developed - professional
obligations as well, because we also are
in the business world through a
high-tech satellite software company - so
we also have a professional work life, a
professional aspect of a life which we
rarely talk about, but there is, and so we
really had brought our daughters with us
and they have seen part of things that
part of life that they would have never
seen if they had gone to a maybe a
regular school so there are some
advantages. I always tell them you must
appreciate what you have. You must
appreciate you have food, that you have
parents who are together, that you have a
little sister to play with. I mean that
you have friends, that you have houses, homes.
And no, nothing is taken for granted in
our house. Nothing. It's true.
Even love is not taking for granted.
Because... It's important
Charles can look back on a illustrious family history.
And the family lives a royal life.
But without a Kingdom and without a throne.
What does it mean To be Prince and Princess,
and Duke and Duchess of Castro
And is that a full time job?
Myself and my wife, and now also my children
we are going a lot in different places
even out of Italy of course. Plus the Constantinian
Order of St. George, which is an order of
knighthood that my family has.
have different delegations in Italy, but also
in Europe and in the United States and South America
So they all want you to be there when
they organise something.
So it's not full-time job but it takes you a lot of time.
As the head of the royal family
my husband really has a role of
enormous representation I think
it's some kind of a duty it's really
it's something that you owe to a lot
of people in Italy, and not only
in Italy, still have a memory of the big
Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and still
embodies the cultural aspect of it all.
It is something where you have that
weight on your shoulders you know you
have that responsibility and you
have to go. You have to go and travel.
You have to be there you have to always hear
if there are problems.
If you want to help people that in
different in different parts of the
world are asking to be supported by the
Constantinian Order of Saint George.
It is a duty of - I think - today families who
- yes do not reign anymore - but royalty
it's not only about being on a throne
it's also about being there, close to the
people. And in our case especially I
think that we owe a lot to history,
to our name and somehow
we have to transmit that. Not only on
our daughters, as young generations, but
to be present on the cultural side of it all
But what does it mean, what does the area mean for you?
Well the title of Castro is a title that
the last king of Two Sicilies used
also because of the Farnese
connection. It's close to Rome.
But Calabria and Noto, which is in Sicily
are always been since many centuries the
the titles that the heir and the son of
the heir used. And these are beautiful places
fantastic places and I think that the
inhabitants of Sicily are very happy
that we use these titles and it's
part of the historical memory and
historical identity for
of a lot of people still in Italy.
Especially in the south of Italy.
And not only. And the attachment that my family
also had with the people from southern
Italy and and vice versa, is very
very strong very strong.
It's an attachment that I think is like what we
say visceral. It's in the blood.
I mean, when we arrive there
we really feel loved, admired and
of course,
we have to be close to them but this love
that they give us, it's real.
I think because they feel that we love them.
So it's it's a union between the
South of Italy and the family. Really.
What was the first time you really realized that attachment?
I was going to Italy since I was a young boy. With my grandfather
Then with my parents and
we did many many trips in Naples in
Calabria in Sicily and ...
I remember, a small anecdote, we were in Gaeta.
Gaeta was an important city for us.
It was the last city where king Francis II and
his wife Queen Maria Sofia of Bavaria
defended for three and a half months.
In a way which is
extraordinary because they lost
everything but not that dignity.
I was in Gaeta with my parents.
I was there with them.
To inaugurate a square and a street
with the name of Queen Maria Sophie and King Frencesco II.
I was just tall like this. They asked me to
take off the veil.
I have made many friends
since I was a boy. And we grew up
there a bit together.
We go a lot to the south of Italy, we have lots of projects there
we have a lot of schools that we help
that we support, hospitals that we equip
So there is really a presence on our
side whichwho is getting more and more as time goes on.
But it's really a presence
which we care about. First the South of Italy, the rest of the world after that.
That's the way we see it.
There Kingdom might not there anymore, Charles and Camilla still look after the former Kingdom
of Two Sicilies, with pride and with a lot of energy. For the area and for the citizens.
They do it with good spirits.
They hope their daughter Carolina, and after her the next generations,
this Bourbon-branch will defend
so the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
will remain in many hearts.
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét