The head of Italy's royal dynasty has said he will not lay claim to the country's Crown jewels, days before his planned return to the Mediterranean country.
Sixty-five-year-old Prince Victor Emmanuel, who as the son of Italy's last reigning king Umberto II has spent the greater part of his life in exile, confirmed that the Crown properties, confiscated by the State in 1946, "are no longer ours". "For that matter we have no claim on the Crown jewels," he said. "We have nothing in Italy and we are not asking for anything."
The prince did say, however, that he hopes the priceless gems, which are currently stored at the Bank of Italy, will be placed on public display. "I hope this with all my heart," he said. "There is no point in keeping them in a dark bank vault."
In addition, a case at the European Court of Human Rights in which the prince charged that his lengthy exile violated his rights, has been dropped.
The announcement comes nearly 60 years after Italy voted for the formation of a republic and all male heirs of the house of Savoy were banned from Italian soil. The parliament overturned the ruling in December 2002, and in January the prince, who has spent most of his life in Switzerland, made a brief visit to the land where his family once reigned.
The prince, who has renounced all claims to the Italian throne, will arrive in Naples on Saturday, with his wife and 30-year-old son Prince Emmanuel Filiberto. It has not been disclosed how the family plan to divide their time between Italy and Switzerland.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
