ROME (AP) – Vittorio Emanuele, Duke of Savoy, son of Italy’s last king Umberto II, has died at the age of 86.
The Savoy royal family announced in a statement that the prince died on Saturday in Geneva. He had lived in Switzerland since his family was expelled from Italy when he was nine years old.
Vittorio Emanuele was born in Naples on February 12, 1937, to Umberto, Duke of Piedmont (later Umberto II) and Princess Marie-Josée of Belgium.
Umberto ruled Italy for just 34 days after his father, King Vittorio Emanuele III, abdicated to save the monarchy, which had been discredited for supporting Benito Mussolini’s fascist regime during World War II. .
(Original caption) Rome: The Duke of Piedmont and his bride after their splendid wedding ceremony. On January 8th, Prince Umberto of Italy married Princess Marie José of Belgium in a spectacular setting. After the ceremony, the royal bride and groom were cheered by a crowd of people as 300 planes flew overhead to celebrate the occasion.
When the Italian people voted to abolish the monarchy in 1946, Vittorio Emanuele and his family were forced into exile. Articles in the constitution of the new Italian Republic prohibited the former king of the House of Savoy, his wife, and his family’s male descendants from entering Italian territory.
The ban was lifted in 2002, and efforts to bring the royal remains back to Italy began in 2011.
Vittorio Emanuele and his son, Emanuele Filiberto, returned home triumphantly in 2002 for a visit to Italy after the ban was lifted, but they later sought asylum for their family and the return of confiscated objects. The company gave up its claim for 260 million euros in damages. Real estate sold after public outcry in Italy.
In a letter published in an Italian daily newspaper in 2005, Il Corriere della SeraVittorio Emanuele issued a public apology to Italy’s Jews, declaring that the Savoy royal family had made a mistake in signing the Racial Law in 1938.
NAPLES, ITALY – MARCH 17: Filiberto, Vittorio Emanuele Savoy, son of Italy’s last king, and Marina Doria visit the Royal Palace March 17, 2003, Naples, Italy. Emanuel of Savoy, son of former Italian King Umberto II, has been with his wife Marina Doria and his son Emanuel Filiberto after living in exile from his family’s homeland since 1946. Returned to Italy for a 3 day visit. He was expelled for collaborating with the Mussolini regime during World War II. (Photo by Salvatore Laporta/Getty Images)
Vittorio Emanuele’s personal life was marred by a series of legal troubles.
In 1999, after a 13-year legal battle, he was acquitted of manslaughter by a Paris court. He was suspected of firing a rifle from a yacht anchored off the coast of Corsica, fatally wounding a German tourist who was sleeping on a nearby boat.
This controversial incident was the inspiration for the 2023 Netflix series The King That Never Was.
The prince was arrested in 2006 on charges of extortion and involvement in prostitution as part of an investigation in the southern Italian town of Potenza. He was acquitted at trial.
Vittorio Emanuele is survived by his wife, Marina Ricolfi Doria, and his only son, Emanuele Filiberto, who became the heir to the House of Savoy.
