Italy may have abolished its monarchy 75 years ago, but having no real power hasn’t stopped its royal family from feuding. Direct descendants of Italy’s last king are divided over who should lead the family. For thousands of years, only men in the family could rule. All that changed when the current head of the royal House of Savoy, Vittorio Emanuele di Savoia, issued a decree on his granddaughter’s 16th birthday granting her the power to eventually lead the family.
According to a report by The New York Times, Vittoria inherited her role as well at the title of Princess of Carignano, her ancestral home, on her 16th birthday from her grandfather Vittorio Emanuele di Savoia, the son of the last king of Italy. Princess Vittoria di Savoia — who is also a rising star on Instagram — is now the first woman in 1,000 years to become the family figurehead. “I think it’s a very important act, especially now in 2021 where women are standing so much for their rights,” she told. Vittoria’s father, Emanuele Filiberto, prince of Venice, said the move is a sign of the times. The report added that by formal decree in 2019, the “Duke of Savoy, Prince of Naples and by the grace of God direct heir to Head of the Royal House of Savoy,” amended a medieval law that had restricted the royal line of succession to exclude female heirs.
Vittoria, who resides in Paris and has amassed over 52,000 Instagram followers. The teenager is the eldest daughter of French actress Clotilde Courau and Prince Emanuele Filiberto di Savoia, an Italian television personality who uses the title Prince of Venice and was exiled from Italy until he was 30.
