Prince Amedeo of Savoy, Duke of Aosta

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It has been announced that Prince Amedeo of Savoy, Duke of Aosta passed away earlier today after going into sudden cardiac arrest at the San Donato Hospital in Arezzo! The only son of Prince Aimone, Duke of Aosta, who was proclaimed King Tomislav II of Croatia until just a few weeks before his birth, and Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark, Prince Amedeo was the nephew of King George II, King Alexander, and King Paul of Greece, and Queen Helen of Romania, as well as being the first cousin of Queen Sofia of SpainKing Constantine II of Greece, King Michael of Romania, Queen Alexandra of Yugoslavia, and Princess Margherita of Savoy, Archduchess of Austria-Este. Due to the Allied Armistice with Italy, a few weeks after his birth, Prince Amedeo, along with his mother, Princess Irene, aunt, Princess Anne, and cousins were arrested by the Nazis and put in an Interment Camp in Austria until being liberated in May 1945. After the Italian Monarchy was abolished in 1946, the family went into exile, where the Duke died in Buenos Aires in 1948. A few months later, they were allowed to return to Italy, and Prince Amedeo, who had become the Duke of Aosta, grew up at Miramare Castle.

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The Duke studied at the Collegio Navale Morosini in Venice and in England, before attending the Naval Academy in Livorno from which he graduated as an officer in the Italian Navy. In 1964, Prince Amedeo married Princess Claude of Orléans, the daughter of the Count of Paris and Princess Isabelle of Orléans-Braganza, and the third Orléans Princess to become Duchess of Aosta. The Duke and Duchess had three children, Princess Bianca, Prince Aimone, the new Duke of Aosta married to Princess Olga of Greece, and Princess Mafalda, before their divorce in 1982. In 1987, Prince Amedeo married Silvia Paternò di Spedalotto and while they did not have children, he was also the father of Don Pietro Incisa della Rocchetta and Ginevra van Ellinkhuizen.

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Born the 4th-in-line to the Italian Throne, the Duke of Aosta was close to King Umberto II of Italy, and following disagreements with his cousin Prince Vittorio Emanuele of Savoy, the Prince of Naples, he declared himself the Head of the House of Savoy and Duke of Savoy. Tensions came to a head in 2004, when the Prince of Naples and the Duke of Aosta got into a fight at a Dinner following the wedding of King Felipe of Spain, which left the Duke requiring medical attention, after being propped up by Queen Anne Marie of Greece, and led King Juan Carlos, cousin of both men, declaring that “never again” would an opportunity to abuse his hospitality be afforded. The Duke and Duchess of Aosta lived in the village of San Rocco near the town of Castiglion Fibocchi in Tuscany, being involved in various agricultural activities including the production of wine marketed under the name Vini Savoia Aosta. Prince Amedeo was also president of the International Foundation Pro Herbario Mediterraneo and the president of the committee responsible for the nature reserve on the island of Vivara.

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Earlier this year, Prince Amedeo had undergone major surgery at a clinic in Milan, after which he returned home to Castiglion Fibocchi, and on May 27th, was admitted to the San Donato Hospital for minor surgery, being scheduled for release today but suffered a fatal heart attack this morning. Prince Amedeo is survived by the Duchess of Aosta, his five children, and his eleven grandchildren. Prince Aimone becomes the 6th Duke of Aosta. Details for the Funeral will be released in due course, but condolences have already been released:

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4 thoughts on “Prince Amedeo of Savoy, Duke of Aosta

  1. A very interesting post. Thank you The Royal Watcher for the information on the late Duke and for adding such lovely photos. I quite like the first one, where his mother is wearing an interesting diamond brooch of a Savoy knot.

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