Emanuele Filiberto, Prince of Venice and Piedmont
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Emanuele Filiberto, (June 22, 1972 - ), a member of the House of Savoy and titular Prince of Venice and Piedmont, is the second-in-line to the abolished throne of Italy.
Early Life & Family
Christened Emanuele Filiberto Umberto Reza Rene Maria de Savoie, he 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 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 wore a Valentino dress, a veil held in place by a diamond tiara and gems belonging to the House of Savoy.
They have a daughter named Vittoria Cristina Adelaide Chiara Maria de Savoie who was born three months after their marriage, on 29 December 2003 in Geneva, Switzerland. Clotilde is currently awaiting for the birth of their second daughter in summer 2006.
Involvement
Emanuele Filiberto is involved in charitable and cultural activities. In 2001, he founded the Prince of Venice Foundation to promote 'cultural diversity'. 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, which he has spent most of his life away form in exile.On 10 November 2002, he accompanied his father and mother, following revocation of the provision in the Italian constitution that barred the male descendants of the House of Savoy from setting foot in the Italian Republic, re-entering Italy. 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." He works in Geneva as a hedge fund manager. He was a former football commentator, and he has posed in commercials, such as those for gherkins.
Titles & Honours
Emanuele Filiberto is heir-apparent to the House of Savoy, the former ruling house of Italy, and as such is titular Prince of Venice and Piedmont.| Styles of Emanuele Filiberto, Prince of Venice & Piedmont | |
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| Reference style | His Royal Highness |
| Spoken style | Your Royal Highness |
| Alternative style | Sir |
External links
Vittorio Emanuele
|width="30%" align="center" rowspan=""|Succeeded by:
Amedeo, Duke of Aosta
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