Italy's Former Royals Demand Return of Crown Jewels 75 Years After the Monarchy Was Abolished
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MEHDI FEDOUACH/AFP via Getty Images Italian Queen Marie-Jose's antique diamond tiara, made by Faberge around 1895
Italy's former royal family is demanding the return of their crown jewels, which they lost after the country abolished the monarchy following WWII. The collection has since been held in a vault in the Bank of Italy.
The heirs of the last king of Italy, King Umberto II, have made their first formal request to get the crown jewels back in their possession. Included in the House of Savoy's collection, believed to be worth $300 million, are 6,000 diamonds and 2,000 pearls mounted on tiaras, earrings, brooches and necklaces. An informal request was already rejected by the Bank of Italy in November.
A mediation meeting was held on Tuesday between representatives of the Bank of Italy and lawyers for the Savoys, including Prince Vittorio Emanuele, the son of Umberto II, according to The Telegraph. The meeting was inconclusive.
"Italy should do what is right and fitting and restore the jewels to my family," Prince Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy, the grandson of Umberto II, told The Telegraph.
Italians voted to abolish the monarchy and become a republic in June 1946 after the royal family collaborated with fascist dictator Benito Mussolini and then fled to Rome in 1943 to avoid an invading German army. King Umberto II subsequently fled to Portugal and male heirs of the royal family were banished from Italy until 2002 when parliament voted to end the exile and allow them to return as ordinary citizens. Umberto II died in 1983.
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"The monetary value of the jewels doesn't interest us. What is more important is the historical and sentimental value that they have for the family," the prince added.
Timothy Norris/Getty Images Prince Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy
"Italy is about the only republic in the world where the private property of the ex-royal family is still in the hands of the State. It's shameful. Even Russia and Yugoslavia restored private possessions to their royals.
"The jewelry has been hidden away in a chest for more than 70 years. Unlike the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London, these have never even been on display to the public. It is about time that they were returned to the heirs of the royal family."
Eric VANDEVILLE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images Queen Marie Jose's diamond and pearl tiara
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The family will reportedly proceed with suing the state, according to the Corriere della Sera newspaper in Italy.
"The Savoy family will get the jewels back," Sergio Orlandi, the family's lawyer, told the outlet.
