Vittorio Emanuele of Savoy, Italy’s last king’s sole son, spent much of his life in Swiss exile. At 86, he passed away at his Geneva home, as announced by the Royal House of Savoy.
Hailing from Naples, southern Italy, he departed at nine when his father, Umberto II, left due to the 1946 referendum abolishing the monarchy and establishing a republic.
Proclaiming himself King of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele fought against the constitutional ban preventing his family’s return. In November 2022, after the parliament lifted the ban, he returned to Italy. He visited Rome just before Christmas, securing an audience with Pope John Paul.
Facing a chilly reception upon his return, Vittorio Emanuele encountered skepticism due to the House of Savoy’s tarnished image from its World War Two association with Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.
His reputation suffered in 1978 when he faced accusations of accidentally shooting and killing 19-year-old German Dirk Hamer in a Corsican port.
Tragically, Dirk Hamer, sleeping below deck on a boat, sustained fatal injuries when Vittorio Emanuele’s gun discharged during a confrontation with holidaymakers. Hamer never recovered and passed away a few months later.
In 1991, Vittorio Emanuele was acquitted of the killing in a French court, receiving a suspended sentence solely for illegal possession of a rifle.
Dirk Hamer’s family contested the verdict, bringing renewed attention to the case through the Netflix documentary “The King Who Never Was.” Vittorio Emanuele encountered additional legal challenges in 2006 when arrested on racketeering and involvement in prostitution charges in Potenza, Italy. He was later acquitted after a trial.
During his time in Potenza, Vittorio Emanuele was recorded boasting to a cellmate about tricking the French magistrates in the Hamer case. He disputed the video’s authenticity.
FRIEND OF THE SHAH
In 1971, Vittorio Emanuele married Swiss water skiing champion and heiress Marina Doria. They resided in a luxurious villa on Lake Geneva’s shores. Earlier, he worked as a salesman for Agusta helicopters, fostering a friendship with the Shah of Iran through business dealings, even holding his wedding in Tehran.
Despite living in exile, Vittorio Emanuele was identified in 1981 as one of over 900 members of the banned secret masonic lodge Propaganda 2 (P2), a group central to Italy’s late 20th-century scandals. His grandfather, King Victor Emanuel III, abdicated in a last, unsuccessful bid to preserve the monarchy, favoring his son Umberto just before the 1946 referendum.
Umberto II and Maria Jose, Vittorio Emanuele’s parents, briefly ruled Italy for just over a month before the family entered exile. Vittorio Emanuele is survived by his wife and son, Emanuele Filiberto, who expressed in 2023 his intention to renounce the claim to the Italian throne in favor of his daughter, Vittoria, when he believes she is ready for the challenge.