Hundreds of mourners attended the funeral in the northern Italian city of Turin on Saturday of Vittorio Emanuele of Savoy, the only son of Italy's last king, who
died last week aged 86.
Among those present in the city's main cathedral were Prince Albert of Monaco and Spain's former Queen Sofia, while small groups of well-wishers braved the rain outside holding up placards with slogans such as "Safe Journey, Prince".
A message of condolence from Pope Francis was also read out but the service attracted only limited interest in Italy, reflecting the fact that Vittorio Emanuele lived much of his life in exile in Switzerland.
His 51-year-old son, Emanuele Filiberto, bent down and kissed the coffin as it was placed into a hearse. He was flanked by his mother, Marina Doria, the widow of Vittorio Emanuele.
Born in the southern Italian city of Naples, Vittorio Emanuele left his homeland as a child when his father Umberto II was forced to depart following the 1946 national referendum that abolished the monarchy and established a republic.
