Remains of exiled king arrive in Italy from Egypt
ROME: The remains of exiled former Italian King Victor Emmanuel III have arrived in northwest Italy, from Egypt, for interment in a family mausoleum.
The royal House of Savoy’s flag covered the coffin on Sunday upon arrival at a basilica in Vicoforte, near the town of Cuneo.
Italy’s post-war Constitution banned male descendants of the royals from Italian soil because the family had supported dictator Benito Mussolini. The ban was lifted in 2002.
The remains arrived from St. Catherine’s Cathedral in Alessandria, Egypt, where Victor Emmanuel died in 1947.
A day earlier, the remains of his wife, Queen Elena, were transferred to Vicoforte from France, where she died in 1959.
Victor Emmanuel, who ruled from 1900-1946, abdicated in favour of son Umberto II. Rejected by plebiscite, they went into exile.
Published in Dawn, December 18th, 2017