Fulco Ruffo di Calabria
| Prince Fulco Ruffo di Calabria | |
|---|---|
| 6th Duke of Guardia Lombarda | |
 |
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| Born |
12 August 1884 Naples, Kingdom of Italy |
| Died | 23 August 1946 (aged 62) Marina di Massa, Italy |
| Spouse | Luisa Gazelli dei Conti di Rossana (m. 1919-46; his death) |
| Issue | Donna Maria Cristina Donna Laura Prince Fabrizio, 7th Duke of Guardia Lombarda Don Augusto Donna Giovannella Don Antonello Paola, Queen of Belgium |
| Father | Fulco Beniamino Tristano Ruffo di Calabria, 5th Duke of Guardia Lombarda |
| Mother | Laura Mosselman du Chenoy |
Fulco VIII, Prince Ruffo di Calabria, 6th Duke of Guardia Lombarda (Naples 12 August 1884 – Ronchi di Apuana 23 August 1946) was an Italian World War I flying ace, senator under the fascist regime of Benito Mussolini in World War II for which he was convicted. He was also posthumous father-in-law of King Albert II of the Belgians, and grandfather of King Philippe of Belgium.
Ademarus Rufus, who died in 1049, held the title of Comes in southern Italy. Siggerio Ruffo became Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II's grand marshal of the Kingdom of Sicily in 1235. The family divided into two branches after the 14th century: the Ruffo di Calabria and the Ruffo di Scaletta, to the former of which Fulco belonged.
Don Fulco was the son of Fulco Beniamino Tristano Ruffo di Calabria, 5th Duke of Guardia Lombarda (1848 - 1901), and Laura Mosselman du Chenoy, a Belgian aristocrat, whose maternal grandfather was Count Jacques André Coghen, Belgium's second finance minister. Beniamino Ruffo di Calabria was the younger brother of the head of the House of Ruffo, Fulco Ruffo di Calabria-Santapau, 10th Principe di Scilla and 2nd Duca di Santa Cristina.
Don Fulco was made, by decree of 15 March 1928, Prince Ruffo di Calabria, in the Kingdom of Italy. By inheritance he was also the 6th Duke of Guardia Lombarda and 17th Count of Sinopoli. The family Ruffo di Calabria represents one of the most ancient lineages of Italy and includes Cardinal Fabrizio Ruffo. Fulco was related to historically eminent Roman and southern Italian noble families, including the Colonna, Orsini, Pallavicini, Alliata and Rospigliosi. Among his distinguished ancestors of the French aristocracy were the Marquis de Lafayette, hero of American Independence, and the Dukes of Noailles.
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