• 'Royals' The princes of Savoy suffer a robbery in their home in Paris of at least half a million euros
  • Royal House Umberto of Savoy, the sad exile of the 'father-in-law' of King Juan Carlos who could only reign 33 days

Although the referendum of June 1946 put an end to the Monarchy in Italy probably forever, the Savoy, their historical dynasty, continued to walk for decades through all the palaces of the world with the consideration that gave them among the crowned heads to be one of the most important royal families of the Old Continent. Not surprisingly, the millenary House of Savoy managed to reign over unified Italy and, briefly, also in Spain.

But that status seems to be a thing of the past. In recent major monarchical events, from the funeral for Elizabeth II to the coronation of her son Charles III in London or the grand wedding of Jordan's crown prince last week, there has been no trace of any Savoy. Nothing to do with other pairs of equally dethroned dynasties, such as those of Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia or Romania, always with privileged positions in all the global appointments of the Götha. The fall from grace of the Italian royal family is the logical consequence of the endless astracanadas that are starring its members, more concerned with exercising as celebrities than by assuming the responsibility that comes with being custodians of the dynastic legacy.

The announcement now of Philibert of Savoy (50 years old) that, on the death of his father, Victor Emmanuel (86), current head of the Royal House, will renounce his rights and abdicate directly in his eldest daughter, Victoria (19), is the last of those buffooneries that lead to this Monarchy without a throne no longer being able to be treated seriously. To begin with, because of the harmful image of inconsistency of Filiberto, who for decades has not stopped embracing fame as a contestant on Italian television programs such as Dancing with the Stars or putting his face to the promotion of a fresh pasta food truck in the United States. But, above all, because Victoria, a young woman who spends her hours working as an influencer in the networks, is more hit by partying with our Froilanes than attending stale institutional commitments.

Victory of SavoyIG

The Saboya, with Víctor Manuel and his wife Marina Doria at the front, were in Madrid in 2004 at the wedding of Don Felipe and Letizia. The punches that the prince dealt in Zarzuela to his cousin Amadeo of Aosta, with whom he disputed dynastic rights, ended up sentencing the son of the last monarch of Italy, Umberto II, who barely had time to be on the throne for a month.

SCANDALS

Famous are the scandals of Victor Emmanuel of Savoy. In the 70s -when he still could not set foot in Italy-, his name already appeared linked to an illegal arms trafficking network. In the same decade, he was implicated in the death of a German tourist when their respective yachts coincided in Corsica. Already in 2006, the prince found his bones in jail for an operation against corruption and the exploitation of prostitutes in Italy, although he was finally acquitted.

So that European royalty does not find it uncomfortable to be photographed with him. In 2019, Victor Emmanuel made use of his status as a suitor to change the rules of succession and abolish the Salic law to allow his granddaughter Victoria to one day be at the head of the House. And, incidentally, of course, try to prevent the crown from passing irremediably to the male descendants of the Savoy-Aosta, the rival line. For Italy's black-legged monarchists, abolition was a chatter. But it allows Victoria to dream of one day being queen.

The young woman, Princess of Carignano, who has made her first steps as a model, studies Political Science and Art History at a London University. Mal will not be formed a little. Her father – married to French actress Clotilde Courau – describes her as "sensitive, intelligent and open" and "rock-and-roll" (sic).

Between poses, she has been seen at an important event such as the funeral for Pope Benedict XVI, where she coincided with Queen Sofia and Felipe and Matilde of Belgium, whom she greeted protocolarily. Perhaps all is not lost for the dynasty.

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