London, October 2011. The Grand Master of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St George, HRH Prince Carlo of Bourbon Two Sicilies, Duke of Castro, and HRH Princess Camilla of Bourbon Two Sicilies, Duchess of Castro, have been granted the Freedom of the City of London by order of the Court of Common Council of the City of London. The ceremony took place as part of a wider four-day visit to London at the invitation of the Delegation of Great Britain and Ireland of the Constantinian Order.
Their Royal Highnesses signed the Freemen’s ledger during a ceremony held at Stationers’ Hall after reciting the Declaration of a Freeman. Afterwards, the Duke and Duchess were greeted as a ‘Citizen of London’ by Murray Craig, the Clerk of the Chamberlain’s Court, and presented Prince Carlo and Princess Camilla with their framed parchment certificates.
Mr Craig explained to the Duke and Duchess the meaning of the Freedom and invited them to look at a small display of high-level Italian and British statesmen who had received the freedom during the past 200 years.
The Duke of Castro, Grand Master of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St George, an internationally recognised Roman Catholic Order of Knighthood. Among the 250 guests attending the ceremony were Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster and the Apostolic Nuncio to the Court of St James’s, Archbishop Antonio Meninni.
Sir Gavyn Arthur, former Lord Mayor of London, and HE Mr Anthony Bailey, Delegate for Great Britain and Ireland of the Constantinian Order nominated the Duke and Duchess of Castro for the Freedom.
The Freedom of the City of London is believed to have begun in 1237 and enabled recipients to carry out their trade; and today, people are nominated for the Freedom, because it offers them a link with the historic City of London and one of its ancient traditions. It is also offered to individuals by the City of London Corporation to pay tribute to their outstanding contribution to London life or helps celebrate a significant achievement.