Maria Carolina was born in
Rome on 23 June 2003 to Camilla Crociani, an Italian socialite and heiress, and
Prince Carlo of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Castro, the disputed head of the
House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. Her maternal grandmother is the actress
Edy Vessel. Her paternal grandfather was
Prince Ferdinand, Duke of Castro. She is the older sister of
Princess Maria Chiara. Her paternal aunt is
Princess Béatrice of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. She is a first cousin of
Jean-Christophe, Prince Napoléon. Maria Carolina was baptized in the Palatine Chapel of the
Royal Palace of Caserta. Her godfather is
Prince Laurent of Belgium, younger brother of
King Philippe of Belgium. Maria Carolina grew up between
Paris,
Monte Carlo, and Rome. She was homeschooled, following the International Cambridge Educational System and regulations set in place by the
National Centre for Distance Education, supervised by the Department of Education of Monaco. She went on to study at the
International University of Monaco and the
Istituto Marangoni. She has also taken online courses by
Harvard University. == Career, public life, and charitable work ==