Daughters of King Vittorio Emmanuele III

[RomanovsFan4Ever]

We have some about Mafalda here:

"Vita e morte di Mafalda di Savoia" by Renato Barneschi, 1982.

"Mafalda di Savoia, dalla reggia al lager di Buchenwald" by Cristina Siccardi, 1999.

"Mafalda di Savoia-Assia, Facile essere una Principessa..." by Ninel Ivanovna Podgornova (Russian writer, graduated in Romance languages and translator of Italian novels), 2009.

And others that unfortunately are no longer available...about the ones that I mentioned, there is still the same problem: I don't know if there are English versions of these. :- /

(About her sisters, I know "Giovanna di Savoia. Dagli splendori della reggia alle amarezze dell'esilio" by Cristina Siccardi, but it belong to another topic...).

[Eric_Lowe]

Yes. Sad it does not seem to have one in German, since she married a German Prince and her son still owns property in that country. 

[RomanovsFan4Ever]

Perhaps there could be a German translation of the ones of Renato Barneschi and Podgornova but I'm not sure.

Little Mafalda.

[Eric_Lowe]

I hope so. Along shot for an English one. She was in the Third Reich book on the story of Hesse.

[RomanovsFan4Ever]

Princess Mafalda with her older children Maurizio and Enrico.

[Eric_Lowe]

I wonder how close was her with the children. Was she a loving or a strict mother ?

[RomanovsFan4Ever]

As far as I know she was a very loving mother for her children.
She was captured by Nazis exactly when she returned in Rome and she tryed to reach her children that were hidden at the Vatican...despite the serious danger that threatened the Royal Family of Italy, the desire to see her children was stronger than any fear...her courage should never be forgotten.

[Eric_Lowe]

I think she was a brave and admirable lady. However I read Hitler do not like her because she was not pretty ? I found that real strange. It was in the Royalty & Reich book...

[RomanovsFan4Ever]

Considering Hitler's rudeness and demeaning manners, it wouldn't be surprising.

[Eric_Lowe]

Yes. I do find it strange as he did admire Wallis ! I think she was one of the few female royals that die at his command ?

[RomanovsFan4Ever]

Wallis Simpson was know for being Nazi sympathizer, that's why Hitler liked her...her husband Edward VIII once said that “it would be a tragic thing for the world if Hitler would be overthrown”.  

Mafalda in first time was also well considered by Hitler, he also bestowed the Cross of Merit to her, but after things changed...

[Eric_Lowe]

Why ? The book in English did not specify, it said something about Hitler being pissed off by the Italian Royals for some reason. She was the only member in his power...

[RomanovsFan4Ever]

In September 1943, there was the signing of the armistice with the Allies, and so the Nazis organized the disarmament of the Italian troops, at that point the entire Italy and Italian Monarchy were considered as "traitors"...and for this reason Hitler intended to arrest all members of the Italian Royal Family, but Vittorio Emanuele III and Umberto fled in Brindisi.
Mafalda, being a German citizen, believed that the Germans would respect her, but Hitler's plan was to demage the Royal Family, and so she was arrested just for being the King's daughter.

[Eric_Lowe]

Sad...So she was the scapegoat princess...So unfair and unnecessary. 

[RomanovsFan4Ever]

Exactly :- (
Unfortunately all in that cruel historical time was unfair and unnecessary...And also unfair was that when Mafalda arrived in Rome, she didn't know that meanwhile, her husband Philipp was already been arrested and deported to the concentration camp of Flossenbürg.
In fact, she was called at the German command for an "urgently phone call from her husband" (it was fake, obviously), and than she was arrested, it was an infamous trap.