Princess Vittoria of Savoy

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Princess Vittoria of Savoy (Vittoria Cristina Adelaide Chiara Maria di Savoia; born 28 December 2003) is the daughter and heir apparent to Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy, Prince of Venice, who is a claimant to the headship of the House of Savoy.[1][2][3]

As the succession laws of the House of Savoy only permitted males to succeed in their domains, a woman succeeding to the headship of the House of Savoy is unprecedented. In 2019, Vittorio Emanuele, Vittoria's grandfather, proclaimed that the laws of the House of Savoy were to be changed, and Vittoria was placed as second in line to the headship of the house of Savoy, behind her father.[4]

Vittoria is the first female member of the Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation, which was established in 1362.

Early life and family

Vittoria was born on 28 December 2003 in Geneva, Switzerland. Her father Emanuele Filiberto, Prince of Venice was then the disputed heir apparent to the Italian throne and her mother Clotilde Courau is a French actress. Her younger sister Luisa was born in 2006. She is the granddaughter of Vittorio Emanuele, Prince of Naples, the disputed head of the House of Savoy, and his wife Marina Doria. Her great-grandfather, King Umberto II was the last King of Italy before the monarchy was abolished in a 1946 referendum. Her great-grandmother was Marie-José of Belgium, the last Queen of Italy.

Baptism

She was baptized on 30 May 2004 by cardinal Giovanni Cheli at the Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi in Assisi. Her godparents were Ottavio Mazzola and Roberta Fabbri. The baby wore the baptismal gown that had been worn by her great-great-grandfather King Vittorio Emanuele III at his baptism on 30 November 1869. Among the guests were Prince Albert of Monaco, Princess Maria Beatrice of Savoy, Prince Sergius of Yugoslavia and Princess Mafalda of Hesse, granddaughter of Princess Mafalda of Savoy. The parents selected Assisi in light of its symbolism of peace.[5]

Later life and education

Vittoria briefly lived in Switzerland and Italy[6], but grew up in Paris[7] where she got her baccalauréat in 2021.[8]

Afterwards she settled in London to study politics, but dropped out college after a few months, and instead worked as waitress in a pub, in the Thaddaeus Ropac London Gallery, and briefly as a model[9], most notably by doing shooting for the spanish magazine Yo Dona in 2024, and as the spokesmodel for the Marmo collection of Pucci on 4 April 2025 in Portofino.[10]

Acting career

With those jobs, she earned enough money to pay the tuition to take acting classes.[11]

In May 2025, she began her acting career by shooting two episodes of the french TV series La Mère et l'Assassin[12], which was released on 11 January 2026.[13]

In 2025, she also got the lead role in the french movie Toi+moi, which will released on Amazon Prime Video on 18 September 2026.[14][15]

Succession

In 2019 Vittoria's grandfather, Vittorio Emanuele, Prince of Naples, changed the rules of succession which previously only allowed males to be the heir to the throne.[16][17] Under the rule changes, Vittoria, as the firstborn child of her father, will one day succeed him as the disputed head of the House of Savoy. Her parents had never produced a male heir but had two daughters. Despite being the disputed heir to the now-defunct Italian throne, she lives in Paris in neighbouring France.[4] The current line of succession within the House of Savoy is disputed by Prince Aimone, 6th Duke of Aosta.[18], a descendant of Victor Emmanuel II's younger son, Amadeo I of Spain. The origins of the dispute stem from Vittorio Emanuele, Prince of Naples's marriage to Marina Doria, which Aimone's father, Amadeo claimed was done without the permission of Umberto II, therefore excluding Vittorio Emanuele and all of his descendants from succeeding to the headship of the House of Savoy.[18]

In June 2023, her father Emanuele Filiberto, Prince of Venice announced he would renounce his claim as disputed heir apparent in favour of Vittoria, however he has yet to formally do so. If he does, that would make Vittoria the claimed Duchess of Savoy and disputed head of the House of Savoy pretender to the throne of Italy.[19]

On 8 October 2023, she was made a member of the Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation, being the first female ever to be admitted into the order, which was established in 1362.[20]

Honours

References

  1. 1."Vittorio Emanuele of Savoy has died". ANSA English. 3 February 2024.
  2. 2.de la Cuetara, Ines (19 June 2021). "Young princess fights for her claim to the (abolished) throne of Italy". ABC News. Retrieved 1 December 2025.
  3. 3."Emanuele Filiberto: «L'erede dei Savoia sarà donna». No dai senatori del Regno". Il Mattino (in Italian). 15 January 2020. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  4. 4.[4.2]Horowitz, Jason (10 May 2021). "Paris Teenager's New Gig: Would-Be Queen of Italy. A Nation Shrugs". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
  5. 5."Primeras fotografías de Victoria de Saboya, hija del príncipe Filiberto y Clotilde Courau". ¡Hola! (in Spanish). 8 January 2004..
  6. 6."Vittoria de Savoie, ses premiers pas comme princesse héritière". Monarchies et Dynasties du Monde. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  7. 7."Princesse et serveuse, la nouvelle vie de la fille d'Emmanuel-Philibert de Savoie et Clotilde Courau". Journal des Femmes. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  8. 8."Vittoria De Savoie, ses premiers pas comme princesse héritière". Monarchies et Dynasties du Monde. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  9. 9."Princesse et serveuse, la nouvelle vie de la fille d'Emmanuel-Philibert de Savoie et Clotilde Courau". Journal des Femmes. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  10. 10."Vittoria de Savoie défile pour Pucci ... et capte tous les regards". Point de Vue. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  11. 11."Princesse et serveuse, la nouvelle vie de la fille d'Emmanuel-Philibert de Savoie et Clotilde Couraud". Journal des Femmes. Retrieved 27 August 2026.
  12. 12."Une série policière "La mère et l'assassin", tournée entre Martigues, Aix-en-Provence et Carry-le-Rouet". La Provence. Retrieved 27 August 2026.
  13. 13."La mère et l'assassin : avez-vous reconnu cette princesse, célèbre fille de, au casting de la série ?". Voici. Retrieved 27 August 2026.
  14. 14."Vittoria de Savoie, premiers pas de comédienne sur Prime vidéo en 2026". Point de Vue. Retrieved 27 August 2026.
  15. 15."Vittoria de Savoie au casting de la romance de la rentrée". Point de Vue. Retrieved 27 August 2026.
  16. 16."Young princess fights for her claim to the (abolished) throne of Italy". ABC News. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  17. 17.Horowitz, Jason (10 May 2021). "Paris Teenager's New Gig: Would-Be Queen of Italy. A Nation Shrugs". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  18. 18.[18.2]"Detronizzato Vittorio Emanuele di Savoia in favore del cugino" [Vittorio Emanuele of Savoy dethroned in favor of his cousin]. la Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno. 7 July 2006. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  19. 19."19-year-old influencer could be Italian queen after prince gave up the throne". UNILAD. 7 June 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  20. 20."ON 7 AND 8 OCTOBER, GENEVA HOSTED THE ANNUAL GENERAL CHAPTER OF THE DYNASTIC ORDERS OF THE ROYAL HOUSE OF SAVOY. – Ordini Dinastici della Real Casa di Savoia". Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  21. 21.Elenco dei Cavalieri dell'Ordine supremo della Santissima Annunziata
  22. 22."H.R.H. EMANUELE FILIBERTO OF SAVOY, PRINCE OF PIEDMONT AND VENICE MET H.M.E.H. FRA' JOHN DUNLAP, PRINCE AND GRAND MASTER OF THE SOVEREIGN MILITARY ORDER OF MALTA – Ordini Dinastici della Real Casa di Savoia". Retrieved 9 February 2024.