The saboya demand from Italy the return of their royal jewels 76 years later

Prince Víctor Manuel, aspiring to the Italian throne, and his Hermamas, María Gabriela, María Pía and María Beatriz de Savoya, have launched a legal battle against the Italian government to recover the jewels of the crown.Currently, this treasure, which includes more than 6.500 diamonds and 2.000 pearls, the Bank of Italy, where Umberto II, the last king of the country before leaving exile.Now, 76 years later, his heirs claim those valuable belongings by judicial route after failing a previous mediation that he maintained with the part of MANUEL FILIBERTO DE SABOYA, on behalf of his parents and his aunts.

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It was on June 2, 1946 when a referendum stripped Umberto II of his crown that only had 33 days on the throne.Three days later the Executive asked the king to hand over the royal jewels he kept in what until then was his residence, the Quirinale Palace, the current headquarters of the Presidency of the Republic.The vague formula with which the chest was deposited in the Bank of Italy is now the origin of the dispute.The delivery certificate written by the then Minister of Casa Real Falcone Lucifero, establishes that the jewels will remain "available to those who were entitled to them".And who is entitled to them?This is what the courts must elucidate.

The return of the saboya to Naples after 57 years of exile

Savoy's house is very clear.For the family the fact that they have not been confiscated at the time as if they were other properties or real estate, it would indicate that they are the legitimate owners.The origin of this circumstance is in a provision of the Italian Constitution that establishes that jewels are not a personal property, but that it is an endowment for the exercise of their functions, and to which each of the parties attributes an interpretationdifferent.For the lawyer of the Savoy, Sergio Orlandi, this has made the issue pending until today when the heirs of Umberto II must be restored to be restored.However, the Bank of Italy rejected the first request of the family with these words: "The return cannot be accepted, taking into account the responsibilities of the Depositary".Nor were government representatives accepted in the failed negotiation with Manuel Filiberto de Savoya

María José de Belgica, wife of the last Italian king, or Margarita Teresa de Savoya, the monarch's grandmother, were some of the lucky ones who have worn some of the jeweler's pieces, whose value has not been calculated with precision.According to the country's press, since it arrived at the Bank of Italy, it was only opened once, in 1976, when the Bulgari Taso company the collection in about 18 million euros, much less than the estimates that pointed out that the treasure could be valuedin hundreds of millions.