Emanuele Filiberto, Prince of Venice and Piedmont

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Emanuele Filiberto, Prince of Venice and Piedmont (Emanuele Filiberto Umberto Reza Rene Maria di Savoia) (June 22, 1972 - ), a member of the House of Savoy and titular Prince of Venice and Piedmont, is the son of Vittorio Emanuele, a pretender to the defunct throne of Italy. Although the titles and distinctions of the Italian royal family have been legally abolished, he often is styled Prince of Venice and Piedmont out of courtesy, particularly by supporters of the former monarchy.

1 Titles and honours
2 Early life and family
3 Return to Italy from exile
4 Other activities
5 External links

[edit] Titles and honours

Emanuele Filiberto is, through his father, a claimant to the position of heir-apparent to the House of Savoy, the former ruling house of Italy, and as such has a claim to be titular Prince of Venice and Piedmont, though this has been disputed since June 2006 when Amedeo, 5th Duke of Aosta declared himself to be Head of the House of Savoy and Duke of Savoy, claiming that his cousin Vittorio Emanuele, Prince of Naples had lost his dynastic rights when he married without the legally required permission of King Umberto II in 1971.

[edit] Early life and family

**Titular Italian Royal Family**

HRH The Prince of Naples HRH The Princess of Naples HRH The Prince of Venice & Piedmont HRH The Princess of Venice & Piedmont HRH Princess Vittoria HRH Princess Luisa HRH Princess Maria Pia HRH Princess Maria Gabriella HRH Princess Maria Beatrice HRH The Duke of Aosta HRH The Duchess of Aosta HRH Princess Bianca HRH The Duke of Apulia HRH Princess Mafalda

Emanuele Filiberto was born in Geneva, Switzerland, the only child of Vittorio Emanuele, head of the House of Savoy, and his wife, the former Marina Doria, a Swiss ski champion.

Emanuele Filiberto grew up exiled from Italy, in accordance with the provision of the Italian constitution prohibiting the male line of the House of Savoy from entering Italy (see also Birth of the Italian Republic). This provision was repealed in 2002.

Emanuele Filiberto married Clotilde Courau, a French actress and daughter of Jean Claude Courau and Catherine du Pontavice des Renardières, in Rome, Italy at the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels, on 25 September 2003. The basilica was built on the ruins of the Diocletian baths, and is where Filiberto's great grandfather King Victor Emmanuel III married Helen of Montenegro in 1896. Prince Albert of Monaco, who introduced the couple in 2003, was the best man. Around 1,200 people are thought to have attended the wedding. The bride, then six months pregnant, wore a Valentino dress, a veil held in place by a diamond tiara and gems belonging to the House of Savoy.

The couple have two daughters:

Princess Vittoria of Savoy, born on 29 December 2003
Princess Luisa of Savoy, born on 16 August 2006

[edit] Return to Italy from exile

(See also: Vittorio Emanuele)

On 10 November, 2002, he accompanied his father and mother to Italy, following revocation of the provision in the Italian constitution that barred the male descendants of the House of Savoy from setting foot in the country. On the three day trip, he accompanied his parents on a visit to the Vatican for a special (and controversial) 20-minute audience with Pope John Paul II, a meeting that he has expressed touched him deeply. Reports of Emanuele Filiberto's response to visiting his ancestral homeland, all state he was quite moved, and that he was overjoyed seeing Italy, a cherished place he had "only visited via the television" and knew "only through the stories my father has told me." He added that, "what we experienced was indescribable."

[edit] Other activities

Emanuele Filiberto works in Geneva as a hedge fund manager. Since returning to Italy in 2002, he has also appeared on Italian television on football discussion programmes and in commericals for olives [1].

Emanuele Filiberto is involved in charitable and cultural activities. In 2001, he founded the Prince of Venice Foundation to promote 'cultural diversity' ^{[citation needed]}. He is a licensed pilot for helicopters and planes and owns Ducati and Harley-Davidson motorcycles, an Aston Martin and an AC Cobra. Emanuele Filiberto has also published two books, including Sognando L'Italia (Dreaming of Italy), a memoir about growing up in exile. In these he recounts a fond dream of eating pizza in Naples, his family's homeland.