Vittorio Emanuele, Prince of Naples

Who is Vittorio Emanuele, Prince of Naples?

Victor Emmanuel born 12 February 1937 is the only son of Umberto II, the last King of Italy. He is commonly known in Italy as Vittorio Emanuele di Savoia. Titles and distinctions of the Italian royal family have not been legally recognised in Italy since 1946. He is, however, styled Prince of Naples out of courtesy by supporters of the former monarchy.

Vittorio Emanuele also uses the title Duke of Savoy and claims the headship of the House of Savoy. These claims are disputed by supporters of his third cousin, Amedeo, 5th Duke of Aosta. He is also a claimant to the title of King of Jerusalem. He is known to some Italian monarchists as Vittorio Emanuele IV. He has lived for most of his life in exile – following a tightly contested referendum in 1946 in which a majority of the Italian people voted for Italy to become a republic.

On several occasions he has been the centre of controversy in Italy and abroad due to a series of incidents, including remarks that were seen by some as anti-semitic. In France he was tried on a murder charge, of which he was cleared of unlawful killing but convicted of a firearms offence. More recently, Vittorio Emanuele was arrested on June 16, 2006, following an investigation started by John Woodcock of the Public Prosecutor's Office in Potenza, Italy, on charges of criminal association, corruption and exploitation of prostitution. A trial on these charges began in Potenza, Italy on December 21, 2009. Vittorio Emanuele di Savoia was acquitted of all charges in 2007 and 2010.