Fulco Ruffo di Calabria 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 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 . Family history . 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 noblewoman , 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 . Since the fall of the Italian monarchy in 1947 the Princes Ruffo di Calabria have become connected by marriage to such formerly reigning dynasties as the Orléans , the Savoys , the Bonapartes and the Windisch - Graetz . Early life and prewar military service . Fulco Ruffo di Calabria was born in Naples , Kingdom of Italy on 12 August 1884 . His noble family ' s patriotism was prominent in Italian military history since at least 1797 . He thus volunteered for reserve officer ' s training with the 11th Foggia Light Cavalry Regiment on 22 November 1904 . On 31 May 1905 , he was promoted to " Caporal " ; on 30 November , he was again promoted , to " Sergente " . On 20 February 1906 , he was commissioned into officers ' ranks as a " Sottotenente " . Subsequently , he became deputy director of the Belgian Wegimont shipping company ' s African station . He returned from Africa as World War I broke out . World War I service . Ruffo di Calabria returned to military duty before Italy ' s entry into World War I , and was assigned to the " Battaglione Aviatori " ( which later became the " Corpo Aeronautico Militare " on 20 December 1914 . After pilot ' s training , on 28 September 1915 , he was posted to the " 4a Squadriglia Artiglia " , an artillery coordination unit that later morphed into " 44a Squadriglia " . On 26 January 1916 , he moved to " 2a Squadriglia " ( later " 42a Squadriglia " ) . He won two Bronze awards of the Medal for Military Valor — in February and April 1916 — while still a two - seater pilot with them . His personal emblem was a black skull and crossbones painted on the fuselage of his plane , whether it was his original Nieuport 11 s , or his later Nieuport 17 , and SPAD VII airplanes . Ruffo di Calabria underwent further training on Nieuports at Cascina Costa in May 1916 . On 26 June , he was assigned to " 1a Squadriglia " as a fighter pilot . He won his first victory there , shared with Francesco Baracca on 23 August 1916 , and had a second one go unconfirmed . His performance was good for a Silver Medal for Military Valor in August , followed by a Bronze in September 1916 . By 16 September , when he shared a victory with Baracca and Luigi Olivari , he was scoring for his new unit , " 70a Squadriglia " . He ran his score with them to four confirmed and four unconfirmed by 28 February 1917 . In March 1917 , he was transferred out of the reserves when he was promoted to " Tenente " . In May he then switched to flying a Nieuport for " 91a Squadriglia " . He was awarded both a Silver and a Bronze Medal for Military Valor that same month . His promotion to " Capitano " came through in August 1917 . By that time , his confirmed victories totaled 13 . He ended 1917 with his total victories at 16 . Ruffo di Calabria ' s records for 1918 are incomplete , but credit him with four more victories . On 5 May 1918 , he was granted the ultimate Medal of Military Valor , the Gold award . After Baracca ' s death on 18 June 1918 , Fulco assumed command of the renowned " Squadron of Aces " . He relinquished command of " 91a Squadriglia " on 18 September to Ferruccio Ranza , after suffering a nervous breakdown . After recovery , he was handed command of " 10th Gruppo " , on 23 October 1918 , but was shot down by artillery fire near Marano on 29 October 1918 . In the end , he shot down 20 enemy airplanes in 53 combats , making him the fifth highest scoring Italian flying ace of World War I . Post World War I service . On 1 February 1919 , the Bongiovanni commission ' s military intelligence report verified all 20 of Ruffo di Calabria ' s confirmed victories , though still denying the five that were unconfirmed . Di Calabria remained in the military , though without assignment . By 1925 , his main activity was management of his family estates located near Paliano . In 1934 he was named senator of the kingdom by king Victor Emmanuel III . He also continued in the military , eventually rising to the rank of " Tenente Colonello " in 1942 . Ruffo di Calabria served in the Italian senate until 1944 . During World War II he was a supporter of the Italian fascist leader Mussolini . He was subsequently convicted postwar by an Italian court for complicity in the crimes of fascism , and that ruling was upheld on 10 January 1946 despite his appeal . Fulco Ruffo di Calabria died in Ronchi di Apuania , Italy on 23 August 1946 . Awards . Ruffo Di Calabria was awarded the following distinctions : International awards . He also served as a senator . Family . On 30 June 1919 he married , in Turin , Luisa Gazelli ( 1896 – 1989 ) , daughter of Augusto Gazelli dei Conti di Rossana , and of Maria Cristina dei Conti Rignon . Luisa served as a lady - in - waiting at the Italian court . They had seven children :