The future of Italy lies in the hands of a teenage influencer, according to the son of Italy’s last king, Vittorio Emanuele di Savoia, who announced his granddaughter would inherit his legacy. Savoia has the royal titles, including Duke of Savoy and Prince of Naples that he used for the royal decree declaring his granddaughter, Vittoria Cristina Chiara Adelaide Maria, as the ‘heir to the Head of the Royal House of Savoy.’
Savoia’s choice of successor will make history, overruling the Italian tradition that only allows men to ascend the throne, and the formal decree also removed the restriction of purely male heirs. The royal decree allows Vittoria to lead her family’s claim to reinstate the throne of Italy.
Vittoria reacted to the news with excitement, saying this is the best gift she’s received from her grandfather, but it seems the people of Italy won’t be welcoming her with open arms. According to The New York Times, most of the people in Carignano (the ancestral home of Vittorio Emanuele’s branch of the family) didn’t know who Vittoria was due to the dwindling importance of the former Italian monarchy.
When Mussolini declared Italy a republic 75years ago, the Italian monarchy was abolished and led to the exile of the Italian monarchy. Vittoria would not be exiled as a woman and makes her eligible as the heir to the throne due to a technicality.
This situation seems to have occurred, resulting from a long-lasting family dispute of who should have a claim to the throne. The distant family of Vittoria, the Aosta family, believes they should have a claim to the throne (similar to the plot of “The Princess Diaries”), and the family will continue to dispute the throne as Italy continues life under the current government.
