Vittorio Emanuele of Savoy, the 72 year old son of the late King Umberto II of Italy and his wife Queen Maria José, will be put on trial, accused of having took part in criminal association with the purpose of corruption of officials. The trial will begin on 21 December 2009, at 9.30am in Potenza, Italy.

Click to see at the website of Vittorio Emanuele

He has told to the press to trust in the verification of the facts, and to be very sad due to these charges; his lawyer has declared to be “disappointed as a lawyer and scared as a citizen because the air has been used as a proof” of these accusations.

He was arrested after a casually-begun investigation on 16 June 2006 together with other 12 people, accused of corruption, exploitation of prostitution, extortion, having lied in official documents, threats, abetment. He was released a week later, and placed under house arrest until 20 July 2006, when he was definitely released.

His arrest and the charges he is accused of had induced his cousin Prince Amedeo of Savoy to publicly state his claims to the Headship of House Savoy, being “in presence of facts that can injure the Royal House”. According to Prince Amedeo, Vittorio Emanuele lost his rights to the Italian Throne because he married Marina Ricolfi Doria without the (never requested) permission of the then Head of the Family King Umberto II; the never authorized marriage has implied for Vittorio Emanuele the loss of all his rights to the Italian Throne and of all his titles for himself and his descendants, according to the rules of Savoy Family.

This is the second trial for Vittorio Emanuele, after the one following the murder of Dirk Hamer in 1978; Vittorio Emanuele was charged of having killed him and offensive weapon possession, but the Assize Court of Paris acquitted him from the first accusation in 1991 with a very controversial decision. Later in 2006, he has been recorded during a phone call, talking about this trial and the french judges admitting that he “was in the wrong” but that he “fooled them”.

More about Vittorio Emanuele can be found in this thread.

MAfan Italian Royals Legal Matters, Prince Vittorio Emanuele, Savoy

A Saudi Princess who was not named has been robbed worth of $15.5million (11million euros) in cash and jewellery while she was not in the room. The Saudi Princess was on her summer vacation staying in one of the world’s elite destinations in Porto Cervo, Sardinia. Italian media reports say that the thieves used a master key to enter the room before ripping a safe from the wall. “The thieves used a master key. In 10 minutes at dinner time, without making any noise, they managed to remove the safe from a suite occupied by the Saudi princess,” Italy’s La Stampa newspaper reported.

dazzling Saudi Royals Italy, Jewellery, Legal Matters, Robbery

 TRH the Prince of Orange and Princess Máxima have launched legal action of American media outlet Associated Press (AP).

The action comes after AP published several photos of the couple and their three daughters – Princesses Catharina-Amalia, Alexia and Ariane – taken at the luxury Villa La Angostura ski resort in Argentina, where the family is currently holidaying.

The RVD (Government Information Agency) sent a letter to the AP headquarters in New York last Thursday, July 30th, on behalf of the royal couple. Letters were also sent to several Dutch news outlets, including newspaper Trouw and press agency GPD, requesting that the images be removed from their websites. All Dutch outlets involved removed the “illegal” images within 24 hours.

The RVD said that the images taken were in violation of the media code installed by the royal family in 2005, which is an arrangement between the royals and the Dutch media to only photograph the Prince of Orange and his family on official occasions. In exchange, photo sessions will be arranged periodically for the media (the Wassenaar shoot is the latest).

AP has yet to remove the images from their database, stating that “In this case the member of the royal family are public figures in a ski resort outside their own country. The AP considers that it has the right to photograph them as such.” Unless the images are removed, a law suit will begin on August 14th. Follow this issue here.

JessRulz Dutch Royals Legal Matters, Media, Prince of Orange, Prince Willem-Alexander, Princess Máxima

 HRH Princess Madeleine was yesterday awarded 400,000€ in damages by the Court of Hamburg. The case was against German company the Klambt Group, which owns several tabloid magazines. Those relevant to this case were Frau mit Herz and Welt der Frau.

The Princess was awarded the money, which is believed to be going to a charitable organisation, for the false articles and stories the two magazines ran regarding the Princess’ love life, marriage plans and rumoured pregnancies; totaling 86 articles between 2000 and 2004. The Court delivered the verdict based on the violation of Princess Madeleine’s human rights. The amount set by the Court to be paid by Klambt Group is the highest ever in German history in such a case.

The Court did rule, however, that the magazines did not have to publish retractions or corrections on the false stories, as they were “no longer in the minds of the people.”

JessRulz Swedish Royals Germany, Legal Matters, Media, Princess Madeleine

Click the image to view the photo at the Mail Online

 The BBC reports that the question of the legality of sealing of royal wills, which has been raised several times over recent years, is being considered by a panel of judges.  The privilege is unique to the royals — normally British wills are a matter of public record.

The practice of sealing the wills was brought to public attention by Robert Brown (pictured at right), a man who claims that he is the secret love-child of HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon and Group Captain Peter Townsend.  He has been attempting for several years to have the wills of both Princess Margaret and HM The Queen Mother unsealed because he believes they may contain evidence that he is the late princess’s son.

Royal wills have been sealed since the early twentieth century, and it was indeed first done to conceal a family secret.  In 1911, HM Queen Mary asked the courts to seal the will of her brother, Prince Francis of Teck, to keep confidential the fact that he had left the Cambridge emeralds (pictured at left) to Lady Kilmorey, his mistress.  She later quietly purchased the emeralds back for several times their value so that she could wear her family’s jewels to her coronation, and they have since been incorporated in many pieces of royal jewelry.

Click the image to view the photo at The Royal Collection

All royal wills since then have been sealed, a privilege that historian Hugo Vickers tells the BBC has been afforded to “all sorts of obscure people.”  The only exception to the rule has been the will of Diana, Princess of Wales, which was revealed after her death in 1997.

Vickers believes that “while the covenant was introduced to cover-up impropriety, it [is] wrong to assume the wills of more recent royals might reveal similarly lurid details,” adding, “The Royal Family have so little privacy as it is, I don’t think we should be able to see the details.”

But if the panel decides that it is unlawful to allow royals to have their wills sealed, there may still be a way for the royals to keep their last wishes private in the future.  Vickers explains that “the Royal Family might opt, like a number of famous people, to leave a letter for their executors, which does not have to be published.”

If the royal wills are unsealed, most believe that they will provide no evidence that Mr. Brown is the secret child of a princess.   Even so, we will have to wait for the panel’s verdict, scheduled for late 2010, to see if we do become privy to any real secrets lurking in royal estate papers.

To read more from the BBC on the topic, visit this page.  For more on the British royal family, please visit this forum.

Ella Kay British Royals Jewellery, Legal Matters, Princess Margaret, Queen Mary, Robert Brown

 An un-named Saudi Princess has been granted asylum in Britian after having an illegitimate child with a British man. The Saudi Princess was given asylum after she claimed she would face the death penalty if she returned to Saudi Arabia. The Princess claims that she met her non-Muslim boyfriend while visiting Britian and got pregnant a year later.

The Princess was married to an elder man who is from the Royal Family. She claimed that he was had become suspicious of her behaviour. She persuaded her husdand to leave London, where she decided to have her child. She persuaded the court that if she returned to Saudi Arabia she would be punished by Sharia-Law.

The Home Office refused to discuss the case, and a spokesman for the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in London was unavailable for comment.

dazzling Saudi Royals Asylum, England, Legal Matters, Scandal

The Associated Foreign Press (AFP) and the London Telegraph reported today that Princess Alexia of Greece and Denmark’s husband Carlos Morales spent more than five hours answering questions before a Spanish judge in connection with an investigation of corruption. Twenty-One people have already been arrested or charged in connection with the investigation.

Click for Photo at Hola

As first reported on this website yesterday, and with much respect to the AFP and London Telegraph, they have made an error in translating the Spanish legal terms in reporting Morales has been “charged.” According to our Spanish readers, Carlos Morales’ status is still “imputado,” which translates closest in English as a “person of interest.” This simply means he remains under investigation. Under Spanish law, Carlos Morales’ status would be changed to “auto,” if he were indeed charged. The press release from the court does not indicate he has been charged.

Continued media speculation about the secret investigation shows that someone close to the investigation is leaking information to the press. Since the speculation is not official, any information on charges continues to be rumor.   As Princes Alexia (and Carlos by marriage) is the paternal niece of Spain’s Queen Sophia and maternal niece of Denmark’s Queen, it is also certain that the media speculation will continue.

Sadly, the continued speculation will certainly dampen Carlos Morales and Princess Alexia’s upcoming tenth anniversary in early July. They have four children and currently live in Puerto Calero, Lanzarote, Canary Islands where the investiagion is taking place.

As the Former King of Greece is still recovering from open heart surgery, it is understandable that the family has had no immediate reaction or comment.  They may also be waiting until the investigation reaches some conclusion.

More information, as available, will be in the current events thread for Princess Alexia and Carlos Morales Quintana.

Author’s Note: Due to the serious nature of the allegations, I continue to chose not to report on the speculation regarding specific charges. The investigation specifics are under confidential seal and only the judge and the investigators know for certain the scope of the specific allegations. Until there is an official announcement from the judge or the police, any reports of specific charges are rumors and speculation.

Sg1Fan Greek Royals Carlos Morales Quintana, Legal Matters, Princess Alexia of Greece

Former King Constantine II’s son-in-law, Carlos Morales Quintana, is under investigation in Spain for bribery and corruption.  Morales Quintana, a Spanish architect from the Canary Islands in Spain, faces up to 4 years in prison if charged and convicted.

Under Spanish law, Morales Quintana is only a “person of interest” in an ongoing investigation. He has not been formally charged in the scandal.  However, his offices have been searched and records have been seized. He has also attended an interogation with the Spanish Police, by appointment, accompanied by an attorney.  Carlos Morales Quintana declined to comment on the investigation when approached outside the police station.

Click for Photo at Hola

Carlos and his wife, Princess Alexia of Greece and Denmark, are set to celebrate their tenth wedding anniversary on July 9.  They have four children and currently live in Puerto Calero, Lanzarote, Canary Islands.  Princess Alexia is the oldest child of the Former King and Queen of Greece (the former Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark) and is an avid sailor.  She and her husband both participate on the AZUR DE PUIG sailing team in Spain.

Princess Alexia, the niece of both Queen Sophia of Spain and Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, was briefly the Crown Princess of Greece prior to her brother Prince Pavlos’ birth. A popular member of the family, she is frequently photographed with her Spanish Royal Cousins and most recently appeared at the First Communion celebrations with them. Carlos has also been a popular figure and was most recently photographed by Spanish photographer David Seri for the May 2009 Binter Canarias magazine.  The interview and photos were conducted just before the news of the investigation broke.

The press in Denmark (where Princes Alexia’s maternal Aunt is the reigning Queen) have reported that Carlos Morales Quintana was arrested and charged, but those reports are believed to be a problem in the translation.

The news could not come at a worse time for the Deposed Greek Royals.  King Constantine is recovering from major open heart surgery.  He has yet to conduct official engagements and was just recently released to recover at home.

More information, as available, will be in the current events thread for Princess Alexia and Carlos Morales Quintana.

Author’s Note: Due to the serious nature of the allegations, I have chosen not to report on the speculation regarding specific charges.  The investigation specifics are under confidential seal and only the judge and the investigators know for certain the scope and what the specific allegations are. Until there is an official announcement from the judge or the police, any reports of specific charges are rumors and speculation.

Sg1Fan Greek Royals Carlos Morales Quintana, Legal Matters, Princess Alexia of Greece

Princess Caroline of Monaco’s husband, Prince Ernst August of Hannover, is currently on trial in Germany for the January 2000 beating of a Kenyan hotel owner.

This trial, a retrial of a 2004 verdict, is expected to last 11 days and may include testimony by Princess Caroline, a witness to the reported beating. Although the reported attack occurred in Kenya, the trial is being held in Germany under special laws for foreigners.

More information from the Associated Press report is available here and discussion of Their Royal Highness’ current events are here.

Sg1Fan German Royals, Monaco Royals Hanover, Legal Matters, Prince Ernst August, Princess Caroline