The romance between Jordan Bardella and Princess Maria Carolina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies has revived an old financial scandal. Heiress to a colossal fortune, estimated at tens of millions of euros, and tainted by the Lockheed affair, the young aristocrat is shaking up the image of the National Rally.

The relationship between the president of the National Rally and an aristocratic student from the international jet set made the front page of Paris Match in early April 2026. Since then, Jordan Bardella has confirmed that he is in a relationship with Maria Carolina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, the eldest daughter of Prince Charles and his wife Camilla.

The 22-year-old princess belongs to the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, an Italian branch of the Capetian Bourbon dynasty, descended from the French kings Hugh Capet and Louis XIV. It originated in the 18th century when Charles III, a Bourbon prince of Spain, conquered the kingdoms of Naples and Sicily in 1734, establishing an Italian sovereign branch. This family then ruled the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies until its integration into the Kingdom of Italy in 1861. Maria Carolina's father is the pretender to the throne of this kingdom. This non-reigning family, well-integrated into aristocratic circles, possesses a colossal fortune. This financial prosperity, linked to the world of business, is reportedly connected to an old corruption scandal from the 1970s, as Le Monde points out.

A prolific industrialist and art lover

At that time, the maternal grandfather of Jordan Bardella's partner, Camillo Crociani, was a prolific industrialist. Caught up in the Lockheed Martin aerospace corruption scandal, Crociani fled to Mexico with his wife, actress Edoarda Crociani, and their two daughters, Camilla and Cristiana. Upon his death in 1980, the fortune amassed from his arms and technology empire was placed in trusts and offshore companies spread across several countries.

One of the first family conflicts dates back to the early 2010s when Edoarda decided to divide her late husband's artwork between her two daughters. Among the pieces included works by renowned artists such as Pablo Picasso, Paul Gauguin, and Marc Chagall. However, Cristiana received works of lesser value than those allocated to her sister. The legal battle erupted a few months later when Maria Carolina's aunt accused her sister of misappropriating, with their mother's complicity, part of the family fortune, estimated at $600 million.

A conviction for "contempt of court"

The conflict reached its climax before the Royal Court of Jersey, a major offshore jurisdiction under the jurisdiction of the British Crown. After several years of proceedings, Judge Julian Anthony Clyde-Smith ruled that Cristiana Crociani's arguments were valid and that some of the trust's assets had been moved improperly. Camilla of Bourbon-Two Sicilies was sentenced in 2021 to pay a fine of €2.3 million or serve 12 months in prison for contempt of court.

Chargement du contenu Instagram...

Chargement du contenu Instagram...

Forgotten by all, this affair has resurfaced due to Maria Carolina's recent romance with Jordan Bardella. An unwelcome indiscretion in the polished world of the aristocracy? "This family is not reigning; it is not bound by the same requirements as the major European monarchies," Thomas de Bergeyck, a journalist specializing in the monarchy, explained to Actu. Nevertheless, this media exposure offers a striking contrast to the popular image long cultivated by the National Rally.