The Wedding of Vittorio Emanuele of Savoy, the Prince of Naples and Marina Ricolfi-Doria at the Cathedral of the Consolata in Tehran on this day in 1971, following a Civil Ceremony in Las Vegas the previous year. Close friends with Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and Empress Farah of Iran, the religious wedding ceremony took place just days before the spectacular celebrations at Persepolis to mark the 2500th Anniversary of the Persian Empire. The Prince and Princess of Naples have one son, Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy, Prince of Venice.
The only son of King Umberto II of Italy and Princess Marie Jose of Belgium, the Prince of Naples is the last Crown Prince of Italy, and the marriage to a non-royal was a point of dynastic contention with King Umberto, and the Prince had unilaterally declared himself King of Italy in 1969 to give Marina the title of ‘Duchess of Sant’Anna di Valdieri’ and allow them to marry in accordance with dynastic laws. In recent years, the Headship of the House of Savoy was challenged by his cousin, the late Prince Amedeo of Savoy, Duke of Aosta, with tensions coming 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.
