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Victor Emmanuel of Savoy was born to rule Italy, but the crown prince, who died on Saturday, will never become king. His father, Umberto II – the last king of Italy – and his mother – the Belgian Princess Marie-José – were King and Queen of Italy for just over a month. They were called the “King of May” and “Queen of May”: as soon as Italians voted for the Republic by referendum on June 2, 1946, the Royal family out of the country.
The Italian monarchy was discredited due to its support of the fascism of dictator Benito Mussolini. Male members of the royal family were banned from entering Italy, a ban that would only be lifted by Parliament in 2002. Bring in Victor Emmanuel March 2003With his wife Marina Doria and son Emmanuel Philibert, he visited Italy, which was widely reported in the media.
The prince once admitted that the fact that he never became king was not even his greatest regret, but that he did not grow up in Italy. He spent most of his exile in Switzerland.
Nephew of the Belgian King
Former wakeboarding champion Marina Doria was the love of his life. He married her in the Iranian capital, Tehran, and they had a son. Victor Emmanuel would have turned 87 later this month, but he has been suffering from ill health for some time. His maternal relationship with the Belgian royal family also made him a cousin of the Belgian King Albert II.
But Victor Emmanuel will be remembered not so much for his royal lineage as for a life filled with controversy. There were many scandals, accusations and suspicions, including corruption and prostitution, and his membership in the deserved propaganda group was confirmed. This secret forum was exposed in 1981 and was suspected of being a conspiracy against the Italian state.
In the 1970s, an investigation was opened into Victor Emmanuel regarding international arms trade with Middle Eastern countries that were subject to an arms embargo. The search has been archived. But the case that would haunt him for life was a shooting incident in August 1978, on the French island of Cavallo, near Corsica. The prince got into a fight with a group of young men, fired at their boat and wounded nineteen-year-old German Dirk Hammer, who died of his wounds a few months later.
Victor Emmanuel was charged with manslaughter, but was acquitted in 1991. He got six months for carrying unauthorized weapons “outside his home.” The famous incident inspired Netflix to create the series last year The king who never was.
