King Umberto II of Italy & Marie Jose

[RomanovsFan4Ever]

[Carolath Habsburg]

Umberto

[Sara Araújo]

I don't know if this has been posted before, but here's a picture of the house in which Umberto spent his exiled years in Cascais:



Nowadays it's a hotel named "Grande Real Villa Itália" 

[Sara Araújo]

Yes, it's very close to Lisbon. It's considered a high class city, although that has been changing a lot in the last few years. King Carlos had his own house there and almost every picture you see of him on a beach was taken in Cascais. Juan Carlos of Spain still has a house there too, closer to the city center.

[Bourgogne]

Thanks. They looked lovely in beach wear. He was very handsome. There is another photo of him in swim trunks in the Spanish book on Baby Bee.

Yes, King Umberto was very hansome.

Especially when he was young (around 1930). Margherita Sarfati, Mussolini's jewish mistress, who knew the prince very well at this time (when she was made lady-in-waiting of Queen Helena), wrote in her Mémoires that "the prince of Piemont had the beauty of a young god from Hollywood"!

[KarlandZita]

Marie jose was truly one of the princesses most sophisticated and elegant of this time.

[Eric_Lowe]

She got the Wittelsbach flair ! She was not the grand niece of Sisi for nothing.

[KarlandZita]

Umberto, Marie José and family :















Click on thumbnails for enlarge them.

[RomanovsFan4Ever]

The arrival of His Royal Highness Prince Umberto in Trieste square in Crema (Lombardia region, northern Italy).

[Bourgogne]

I agree...people used artificial insemination due to a host of reasons, and some not because of sexual orientation at all. Both Umberto and Marie Jose were attractive and sexy looking indivuals and there is no reason why they could not attempt to make love. The children are the proof. How deep is that love is open to interpretation aswe cannot see through closed doors. For example Ernst of Hesse was gay, but he still managed to beget three children (one by his first and two by his second). According to Ducky's (Ernst's first wife) letters to her sister Crown Princess Marie of Romania, she was most reluctant "to try one more time (to get a male heir) with her husband".

Of course, from Monsieur, Louis XIV's brother, to Ernest of Hesse, including Johann of Thurn-and-Taxis or King Edward II of England (and so on, and so on...), they all were able to have beautiful children, and by themselves...

[Eric_Lowe]

Yes. Umberto II was a handsome man and no wonder person of either sex find him attractive.

[Bourgogne]

Yes. Umberto II was a handsome man and no wonder person of either sex find him attractive.

Exactly, like I said before, Margherita Sarfatti wrote in her "Mémoires" that Umberto was handsome like an Hollywood actor, and that's true. He's got something like actors of that time, Rudolf Valentino, Tyrone Power, all that...
In my opinion that comes from her mother, who gave him this balkan "tall, dark and handsome" beauty.
The house of Savoy was not especially known for the beauty of his members. And moreover, VE III was almost a dwarf, physically a little degenerate...
But with the blood of Montenegro, which was not really a true old royal family, the "time-worn" blood of the Savoy was regenerated... And that gave a beautiful result!

[Eric_Lowe]

Yes. The children of Umberto II and Marie Jose are also attractive. The current prince looks like a celeberty (dancing competition). Yes QV said "the strong dark blood is needed."

[RomanovsFan4Ever]

Umberto during the exile in Portugal.

[RomanovsFan4Ever]

Umberto among children.