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>From http://baron91.tripod.com/index.html }}}>Begin U.S. Knights in the News � 1997, 1998, 2000 by Lloyd Worley. All rights reserved. No portion of this article may be reproduced or distributed in any form without prior written permission of the copyright holder. The reader may download and print one copy for archival purposes. Introduction It is commonly believed that United States citizens cannot receive from a foreign government noble honors such as a Knighthood. To show that this belief has no basis in law or practice, this is a listing of United States citizens (whether famous or not) who have appeared in the news because they have received Knighthoods. Our sources are newspapers, magazines, and journals. The list is chronological. We welcome updates, corrections, and additions to this list. To submit information, click HERE. In submitting, please follow the format, being certain to include the source of your information. THE LIST Wesley Clark, U.S. General and NATO Supreme Allied Commander in Europe made Knight Cokmmander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire March 28, 2000. Lynn Sandstedt, University Professor at the University of Northern Colorado, appointed Knight of the Order of Alphonso the Wise by King Juan Carlos, for educational work in Madrid, October 1998.Jerry Lewis, comedian, actor, director, producer, humanitarian, appointed as Chevalier of the Legion of Honor, 1966. Bob Hope, actor, comedian, humanitarian, appointed by H.M. Queen Elizabeth, 1976, as Commander of the British Empire. Norman Schwarzkopf and Colin Powell, U.S. Military Generals, appointed in 1993 as Knights Commander of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (Honorary) by H.M. Queen Elizabeth. George Bush, former U.S. President, appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath by H.M. Queen Elizabeth. Ronald Reagan, former U.S. President, appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath by H.M. Queen Elizabeth. Caspar Weinberger, former U.S. Secretary of Defense, appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire by H.M. Queen Elizabeth. John Paul Getty II, U.S. billionaire businessman, appointed Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire by H.M. Queen Elizabeth. Andre Previn, U.S. music composer and orchestral maestro, appointed Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. Welsh, Alfred J.: Attorney (Louisville, Kentucky). no date. Knight, Order of the Crown of the Kingdom of Belgium. No restriction on use of prenominal "Sir" or on postnominals. Sir Alfred has served as Honorary Consul of Belgium in Louisville since 1983. Source: The Magazine of Sigma Chi, Fall 1994, page 16. Foley, Tom: Former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. March 19, 1995. Member, Order of the British Empire. Foly also holds the French Legion of Honor and the German Order of Merit. Source: AP news release. The OBE was given by Sir Robin Renwick, the British Ambassador to the United States with these words: "I am ordered by Her Majesty the Queen to invest you with the Order of Knight of the British Empire." Without further ceremony, Sir Robin then placed the neck decoration upon Foley. According to the AP news release, Foley cannot use the chivalric prenominal, but can use the OBE postnominal. Falk, Peter: Television and motion picture actor. Chevalier of Arts and Letters, France's highest arts honor in the French Legion of Honor; on Thursday, February 29, 1996 in Paris. French film star Gerard Depardie, himself a Chevalier, bestowed the honor in a ceremony held by the French Ministry of Culture. Falk is one of many Americans who regularly receive Knighthood in various Orders of Chivalry. Heston, Charleton: Actor. Monday, March 16, 1997. Commander, Order of Arts and Letters (France). The French Order of Arts and Letters is France's highest civilian honor for those in the performing arts. Source: AP news release. No restriction on the use of prenominal "Chev." or on postnominals. Chevalier Heston commented that while he had played knights in the movies, this was the first time he actually was made one. Admiral Leighton W Smith Jr., who recently retired from the United States Navy, has been appointed by Queen Elizabeth II as an Honorary Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (Military Division) (KBE). The award, which will be made during an audience with The Queen at Buckingham Palace on 5 March, 1997 is in recognition of Admiral Leighton Smith's key role, whilst Commander-in Chief of NATO's Southern Command based in Naples. Hope, Bob and Delores Hope: Actor/Comedian/Humanitarian. January 4, 1998. Knight, Pontifical Order of St. Gregory the Great. The Pontifical Order of St. Gregory the Great (Ordo Sancti Gregorii Magni) was founded by Pope Gregory XVI (1831-1846). The Order's original purpose was to honor loyal and meritorious gentlemen of the Papal States. The Order of St. Gregory the Great is open to Roman Catholics, non-Roman Catholic Christians, and even non-Christians. It now has three ranks (Knight Grand Cross, Knight Commander, and Knight) and two divisions, civil and military. Source: AP news release. No restriction on the use of prenominal "Chev." or on postnominals. On June 11, 1998, Chev. Hope and his wife, Dame Hope, were Invested as Knight Commanders with Star of this Order. Source: AP news release. Montalban, Ricardo and Mrs. Montalban: Actor. January 4, 1998. Knight, Pontifical Order of St. Gregory the Great. The Pontifical Order of St. Gregory the Great (Ordo Sancti Gregorii Magni) was founded by Pope Gregory XVI (1831-1846). The Order's original purpose was to honor loyal and meritorious gentlemen of the Papal States. The Order of St. Gregory the Great is open to Roman Catholics, non-Roman Catholic Christians, and even non-Christians. It now has three ranks (Knight Grand Cross, Knight Commander, and Knight) and two divisions, civil and military. Source: AP news release. No restriction on the use of prenominal "Chev." or on postnominals. Disney, Roy and Mrs. Disney: Disney Studios Executive and brother of Walt Disney. January 4, 1998. Knight, Pontifical Order of St. Gregory the Great. The Pontifical Order of St. Gregory the Great (Ordo Sancti Gregorii Magni) was founded by Pope Gregory XVI (1831-1846). The Order's original purpose was to honor loyal and meritorious gentlemen of the Papal States. The Order of St. Gregory the Great is open to Roman Catholics, non-Roman Catholic Christians, and even non- Christians. It now has three ranks (Knight Grand Cross, Knight Commander, and Knight) and two divisions, civil and military. Source: AP news release. No restriction on the use of prenominal "Chev." or on postnominals. Ali, Muhammed: World heavyweight champion boxer. Thursday, January 15, 1998. Member of Morocco's Commander of the Arch. By King Hassan II. Ali was in Morocco for the holy month of Islam's Ramadan. Wellington Webb, Mayor of Denver, appointed May 1998 as Chevalier of the French Legion of Honor. End<{{{ >From http://www.twosicilies.org/eng.html }}}>Begin .An Introduction - The Bourbons of Naples .The Constantinian Order and the House of the Two Sicilies .Living History of the Royal House of the Two Sicilies .Royal Order of Francis I .British and Irish Constantinian Delegation .Swiss Delegation - D�l�gation Helv�tique .United States Delegation .Italian Delegations - Delegazioni Italiane .Rites of Investiture .Interview with the Duke of Calabria .Interview with Princess Urraca of the Two Sicilies .Genealogy: Princes of the House of the Two Sicilies .Royal Palaces of the Two Sicilies - Pictorial .Contact Information .All contents of this site � 1998 The American Delegation of the Sacred Military .Constantinian Order of Saint George (Naples-TwoSicilies) Inc. End<{{{ From http://www.twosicilies.org/order.html }}}>Begin The Constantinian Order and the House of the Two Sicilies In the Example of Saint George The symbolic roots of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George are shrouded in ancient history and medieval legend. Saint George, a Christian born in Asia Minor around 270, became a military officer in the Imperial Army. In 303, he publicly tore down one of the Emperor Diocletian's edicts against Christians, an act which led to his torture and eventual martyrdom. Over the centuries, many legends were told about Saint George. Early Orthodox iconography depicts him slaying a dragon, and in the Middle Ages he came to be known as the Patron of Knights. Saint George was venerated in the East from about 350. In 312, some years after Saint George's martyrdom, the Emperor Constantine "the Great," on the eve of his victorious battle at the Milvian Bridge in Rome, had a vision of the Cross and the words "In hoc signo vinces" (By this sign you shall conquer). He ordered a labarum (a square banner suspended from a horizontal bar attached to a vertical spear) constructed bearing the Greek monogram XP (for "Christos"). His armies defeated those of Maxentius and Christians were no longer persecuted in Rome. The Christianization of Italy and the rest of Europe followed. The Cross of Constantine The Cross of the Constantinian Order of Saint George is a deep crimson Greek Cross Flory superimposed by the XP monogram in gold. At the end of each limb of the Cross is one of the letters I, H, S or V, representing the motto "In Hoc Signo Vinces." The decoration is suspended from a sky blue ribbon of watered silk. [The insignia shown at left is that of a knight grand cross of justice, bearing a figure of Saint George slaying the dragon.] The fifty soldiers entrusted to protect the Labarum constituted the "Labarum Guard" represented today by the fifty bailiff knights grand cross of justice of the Constantinian Order. The legendary founder of the Constantinian Order of Saint George is the twelfth-century Eastern Roman ("Byzantine") Emperor Isaac II Angelus Comnenus. In the fifteenth century, an aristocratic family of Balkan exiles claiming descent from Isaac's dynasty fought alongside Scanderbeg's army in Albania. Establishing their residence at Venice, they began to bestow an honor which came to be identified as the "Constantinian Golden Militia." In those days the brotherhood was an actual military force engaged in the wars against the Turks in the Balkans. In the sixteenth century, this Comnenus family's claim to the Throne of Constantinople was recognized with several Papal Bulls, and their Golden Militia was likewise recognized. Throughout its history, the Order has been closely linked to the Roman Catholic Church. To the Angelus grand masters, it was a point of reference in the wars against Muslim invaders; to the Popes it was part of the Counter Reformation. The Farnese Heritage The Constantinian Order of Saint George as it exists today has been identified as a dynastic institution since 1698, when the last Comnenus Pretender ceded it to Francesco Farnese, Duke of Parma, Piacenza and Castro. Pope Innocent XII confirmed this transfer with his Bull , Sincerae Fide, issued 24 October 1699. The main focus of the Constantinian Order was, and remains, the propagation of the Catholic Faith, although it supports charitable works as well, and today enjoys a special role in the preservation of the culture of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. The Farnese Statutes were the first formal Constitution of the Order, setting forth its purpose and mission. On the initiative of successive Grand Masters, the Statutes evolved over the centuries to reflect the changing times. In 1731, the Order passed by dynastic right to Prince Carlo de Bourbon, son of King Philip V of Spain by his second wife, Elisabeth Farnese, who was the niece and heir of the last Farnese Grand Master, Prince Antonio. The young Carlo entered Parma as its sovereign ruler in 1732. Two years later, Carlo de Bourbon ("di Borbone" to Italians) became King of Naples. For the first time in centuries, the Neapolitans could boast that their monarch would reign in their city. For centuries, Naples had been ruled from afar, with local administration overseen by viceroys who, themselves, were often foreigners. In 1735, Carlo was crowned King of Sicily at Palermo. His Grand Magistry of the Constantinian Order was recognized with a Papal Bull in 1738. A few examples of Carlo's image, such as his statue at Messina [shown here], are still visible in Italy today. His greatest legacy was the development of Naples itself. The Royal Palace and the nearby Teatro San Carlo, opened on the King's name day in 1737, are lasting testaments to his memory (although the latter was largely restructured following a fire in 1816). The Two Sicilies Two decades later, when Carlo succeeded his elder half-brother to the Spanish Throne, he ceded the Neapolitan and Sicilian Crowns to his son Ferdinando, who became Grand Master of the Constantinian Order. Ferdinando I of the Two Sicilies (as his realm was called after 1816) reigned until 1825. The Order was bestowed in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies until 1861, when the forces of King Francesco II, the son of King Ferdinando II and Maria Cristina di Savoia, were defeated by invading troops at the Angevin fortress of Gaeta, on a cape midway between Naples and Rome. The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy and Francesco II lived in exile until his death in Trent, then part of Austria, in 1894. His consort, Queen Maria Sofia, younger sister of the Empress Elisabeth ("Sissi") of Austria, lived for many years in Bavaria, which her family had once ruled, and died at Paris in 1925. The remains of the last King and Queen of the Two Sicilies are interred, with those of their daughter (who died in infancy), in the Royal Chapel of the Basilica of Santa Chiara in Naples. [This photo of Francesco II and Maria Sofia was taken in Naples in 1859.] In 1994, for the centennial of his death, a solemn high mass was celebrated at Santa Chiara in memory of Francesco II, attended by the Royal Family, hundreds of Constantinian knights and thousands of Neapolitans. During this visit, which coincided with the feast day of the King's patron, Saint Francis Xavier (December 3rd), the Duke of Castro was welcomed at the Royal Palace by the Mayor of Naples, and opened an exhibit sponsored jointly by the Archive of State and the nearby Filangieri Museum entitled "Francesco II - A King Remembered." The Dynasty and the Order Today As a prerogative recognized in international law, a dynastic order of knighthood is vested not in the national territory or the headship of a sovereign state, but in the person of the head of a royal dynasty, and various royal decrees issued between 1734 and 1861 make it clear that the Grand Magistry of the Constantinian Order is inseparable from the Headship of the Royal House of the Two Sicilies. For this reason, the Constantinian Order survived the fall of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. The Order continues to be recognized by the Holy See, most royal dynasties, and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. (The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies traditionally enjoyed a close relationship with the Order of Malta, with which it maintained a treaty granting military protection to the island.) Today, the Constantinian Order is also recognized by the Italian Republic, whose military officers may wear its insignia in uniform. King Francesco II was succeeded as Head of the House of the Two Sicilies by his brother, Alfonso, Count of Caserta. Prince Alfonso was succeeded by his own son, Ferdinando. Prince Ferdinando was succeeded by a younger brother, Ranieri, who was succeeded by the present Grand Master. The Head of the Royal House of the Two Sicilies is H.R.H. Prince Ferdinando di Borbone, Duke of Castro, born in Poland in 1926. He is married to the Comtesse Chantal de Chevron Villette, Duchess of Castro, and has three children --Princess Beatrice, Princess Anna, and the Heir Apparent, Prince Carlo, Duke of Calabria. Although it hasn't reigned for more than a century, the Royal House of the Two Sicilies is still strongly identified with its history and traditions, of which the Constantinian Order is perhaps the best- known outside Italy. The Constantinian Order counts among its ranks much of the old aristocracy of the Two Sicilies, and royals and nobles from across Europe, as well as statesmen, industrialists, and scholars from around the world. The Order has delegations in the various regions of the former Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and throughout Italy, as well as Switzerland, the United States, the United Kingdom, France and elsewhere. Additional information on this dynasty, its orders of knighthood, other Italian dynastic orders, and the Order of Malta, appears at Knightly Orders and International Nobility, where a section is dedicated to the study of the history of the Royal House of the Two Sicilies. End<{{{ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Forwarded as information only; no endorsement to be presumed + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without charge or profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this type of information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. -Marcel Proust + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + "Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe simply because it has been handed down for many generations. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is written in Holy Scriptures. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of Teachers, elders or wise men. 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