By ARALDICA MONDADORI – By ARALDICA MONDADORI – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wiki Commons
Prince Emmanuel Filiberto of Savoy has made the unexpected announcement that he will renounce his position as heir to the defunct Italian throne in favour of his older daughter, Vittoria.
The Prince revealed his decision in an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere Torino, during which he expressed his approval for his father’s decision to abolish Salic Law, and therefore grant his granddaughter with the title of heir to the Italian throne.
In the interview, the Prince declared himself a feminist, and said: “Even if they’re a bit late, everyone is understanding that the intelligence and sensitivity of women in power can be marvellous”, adding that “men have nothing more, maybe they even have less”.
He also explained that his daughter, the Princess of Carignano, will be up to the task that will fall upon her with this decision to step aside, just like the women of the Savoy dynasty were before her.
He remembered the most prominent, from Queen Margherita, considered by many to be the person who brought the Monarchy closer to the common people, to Queen Elena, who transformed the Palace into a hospital during World War II.
Prince Emmanuel Filiberto also talked about his daughter’s current attitude, saying that “she is sensitive and intelligent, and open”, that she “loves human contact, and worries about the things she sees around her”, which is why she left with a group of volunteers of the Red Cross at the start of the Ukrainian war.
Princess Vittoria Cristina Adelaide Chiara Maria of Savoy, Princess of Carignano, was born on the 28th of December 2003 in Geneva, Switzerland, the first of two daughters that the Prince had with his wife, French actress Clotilde Courau. The family currently resides in Monte Carlo, in the Principality of Monaco.
The Princess currently studies art history and political science in the United Kingdom, something that brings her closer to other European royals, a point that the Prince himself remembered in his interview, saying: “In the near future, Europe will have more Queens than Kings”.
His decision to renounce his position, however, will have little to no impact on the life of Italy: the Monarchy was abolished in 1946 with a referendum. Noble titles have little to no value in modern day society, and the Savoy family itself is embroiled in a dispute over succession rights, with the main branch fighting with the Aosta branch to determine who has the rights to a throne that, ultimately, doesn’t exist anymore.
However, Prince Emmanuel Filiberto said that he respects the country’s decision to become a Republic, and that he fought for the exile ban to be lifted (the family was allowed back to Italy at the end of 2002) because he “wished to offer them the opportunity to start a life, a career in Italy. In that world that I didn’t have”.