Prince Vittorio Emanuele of Savoy, son of Italy’s last king, dies aged 86

By GIADA ZAMPANO
Associated Press

ROME (AP) — Prince Vittorio Emanuele of Savoy, son of Italy’s last king, Umberto II, has died. He was 86. The Savoy Royal House said in a statement that he died on Saturday in Geneva. Vittorio Emanuele was obliged to leave Italy for exile when he was only 9, after Italians voted to abolish the monarchy in 1946. He spent most of his life in Switzerland. An article of the Constitution of the new Italian Republic prevented the previous kings of the House of Savoy, their wives and male descendants of the family from entering Italian soil. He made a triumphant return to Italy for a visit in 2002, after the ban was lifted.