According to a Royal House of Savoy statement, Vittorio Emanuele of Savoy, the only son of Italy’s last king and a longtime resident of Switzerland, has passed away at the age of 86 in his home in Geneva. He was born in Naples, Italy, and left the country with his father when he was nine after Italy voted to establish a republic in 1946.
For decades, Vittorio Emanuele claimed the title of King of Italy and challenged the rule in the Italian Constitution that barred male members of his family from returning. He was finally able to return to Italy in November 2022 after the ban was lifted by parliament, but his visit was met with a chilly reception, as the House of Savoy had been associated with Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini during World War Two.
Vittorio Emanuele’s own reputation was tarnished by a 1978 incident in which he was accused of accidentally shooting and killing a German man on a boat in Corsica. He was acquitted of the killing in a French court in 1991, but he received a suspended sentence for illegal possession of a rifle. This case was later featured in a Netflix documentary titled “The King Who Never Was”.
He also faced legal troubles when he was arrested in 2006 on charges of racketeering and involvement in prostitution, but he was ultimately acquitted after a trial. His marriage to Swiss water skiing champion Marina Doria in 1971 and his work as a salesman for the Italian Agusta helicopter business were also mentioned in the article.
Vittorio Emanuele’s grandfather, King Victor Emanuel III, abdicated in favor of his son Umberto just before the 1946 referendum in a final, futile attempt to save the monarchy. However, Umberto II and his family ultimately went into exile after ruling Italy for just over a month.
Vittorio Emanuele is survived by his wife, Marina Doria, and his son, Emanuele Filiberto, who announced in 2023 that he would renounce his claim to the Italian throne in favor of his daughter, Vittoria, when she felt ready for the challenge. (Writing by Keith Weir; Editing by Toby Chopra)
