Victor Emmanuel IV, King of Italy

### Name

Victor Emannuel Alberto Carlo Teodoro Umberto Bonifacio Amedeo Damiano Bernardino Gennaro Maria

### Religion

Roman Catholic

**Victor Emmanuel IV, King of Italy** (born *Prince Victor Emmanuel of Italy* on 2 February 1937) is the current reigning King of Italy. He is the only son of **King Umberto II of Italy** and **Princess Marie-Jose of Belgium**.

## Life

Victor Emmanuel became the heir apparent to the Italian throne upon the abdication of his grandfather, **King Victor Emmanuel III**, on 9 May 1946. He succeeded to the throne upon the death of his father on 16 March 1983.

On 1 January 1987, during New Year Court celebrations, the king officially signed letters patent changing the Italian succession to absolute primogeniture. This made his young daughter, Victoria, his heiress apparent as his eldest legitimate child.

## Marriage and Issue

After an nineteen-year relationship with Swiss heiress (but commoner) **Marina Doria**, King Umberto II forced his son to end the relationship and find a "suitable" wife.

On 16 April 1981, Victor Emmanuel's engagement to **TBD** was announced. Victor Emmanuel and TBD couple were married with great fanfare in Rome on 7 October 1981. The couple have four children, **Victoria, Michele, Bona,** and **Victor Amadeus**.

In 2002, it was revealed by an Italian tabloid newspaper that Victor Emmanuel and his long-time partner, Marina Doria, had secretly had a son in 1973, **Emanuele Doria**. who had lived most of his life in Switzerland with his mother. On 10 November 2002, the Italian court released a statement confirming Emanuele Doria's paternity. Shortly after, as part of his New Year's Court, the king announced that Emanuele would be known as Emanuele di Savoia, and bestowed the title of Count of Salemi on him. However, he is not considered a member of the Royal Family, nor does he have any official public function. Through Emanuele, Victor Emmanuel has two additional grandchildren, **Countess Vittoria di Salemi** and **Countess Luisa di Salemi**.

## Residences

Quirinal Palace
Main Residence (March-May; September-November)Valentino Castle
Winter Residence (December-February)Villa Rosebery
Summer Residence (June-August)
## Titles and Honours

* **1940-1946** Prince Victor Emmanuel of Italy
* **1946-1983** Victor Emmanuel, Crown Prince of Italy
* **1983-present** Victor Emmanuel IV, King of Italy

### National Honours

 Order of the Most Holy Annunciation (1981)

 Order of Sts. Maurice and Lazarus (1983)

 Order of the Crown (1958)

 Order of the Star of Italy (1983)

## Ancestry

Princess Elena of Montenegro
Princess Margherita of Savoy
King Nicholas of Montenegro
Milena Vukotic
Archduchess Adelaide of Austria
Prince Ferdinand, Duke of Genoa
Princess Elisabeth of Saxony
Grand Duke Mirko of Montenegro
Anastasija Martinovic
Duke Petar Vukotic
 Princess Marie-Jose of Belgium
Princess Elisabeth of Bavaria
Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
Prince Karl Theodor of Bavaria
Infanta Maria Josepha of Portugal
Louise, Madame Royale
Karl Anton, Prince of Hohenzollern
Princess Josephine of Baden
Prince Maximilian Joseph of Bavaria
Princess Ludovika of Bavaria
King Miguel I of Portugal
Princess Adelaide of Lowenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg

## Lines of Succession

House of Savoy
preceded by
**Umberto II**