Just over a month after the disappearance of Vittorio Emanuele di Savoia, which occurred last February 3rd, his son Emanuele Filiberto comes to Silvia Toffanin's studio to talk about these days of sorrow. Today at Verissimo the son of the member of the House of Savoy and in turn son of the last king of Italy will tell Verissimo about the life of Vittorio Emanuele from a private perspective. And, while waiting to discover what Emanuele Filiberto will tell about his father to the host, we return with our minds to that February 3rd. How did Vittorio Emanuele die?
Vittorio Emanuele di Savoia, who he was
Born in 1937 and about to turn 87 just a few days after his death, Vittorio Emanuele Alberto Carlo Teodoro Umberto Bonifacio Amedeo Damiano Bernardino Gennaro Maria di Savoia (this was his full name) was a member of the royal house of Savoy as well as a claimant to the throne of Italy since 1983. Born in Naples and acclaimed as 'prince of the Empire' and of the city of Naples, he then left Rome in 1943 by order of the king along with his mother Maria José and his sisters towards Piedmont, and then headed to Switzerland from which they were supposed to return once the Second World War had ended. As we know, things did not go as planned and with the abdication of his grandfather, Vittorio Emanuele III, and the constitutional referendum of 1946, he had to leave Italy forever even before knowing the results of the consultation. Since then, the exile began for the Savoys and the former sovereigns with the prohibition of entry into the national territory until 2002.
The hip surgery
The last years spent with two hip prostheses had confined him to a wheelchair. Already at Christmas, as reported by Corriere della Sera, the prince was not well, with a high fever that would not go away. Until the decision of hospitalization that Vittorio Emanuele di Savoia did not take well, he would have preferred to stay with Marina Doria by his side. And yet his wife Marina, from their mountain residence in Gstaad, began to shuttle with Geneva just to be close to him.
Vittorio Emanuele, private life: 'Skiing, hunting, airplanes. But exile was a wound'
The illness
It was September 2023 when his son Emanuele Filiberto spoke for the first, and only time, about his father's health conditions. Emanuele was a guest on Silvia Toffanin's show, at Verissimo, and also talked about his relationship with his parents. 'My mother was very affectionate - he began on the show hosted by Silvia Toffanin - You know, in the Seventies relationships with parents were a bit different. I see with my daughters that it is very different because maybe I am more present; they both worked abroad, mom accompanied dad. But every time we were at home, every time we went on vacation, the three of us, those were very beautiful moments.'
The last days
So the focus shifted to the present and the conditions of his father Vittorio Emanuele di Savoia, who passed away on Saturday, February 3 at the age of 86: 'Unfortunately, dad doesn't walk very well, but he has this strength of character that drives him to go ahead and try to do his best.' Emanuele Filiberto also talked about the health problems his mother had, who at that time had overcome esophageal cancer. 'They are very strong parents who look forward and that is what also gives you strength - he continued - I am afraid to see the age passing, but I think that with parents, especially at that age, you have to live day by day, without asking too many questions. And I hope that my day by day with them can last years after years.'
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