Princess Maria Gabriella of Savoy
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Princess Maria Gabriella Giuseppa Aldegonda Adelaide Daisy Ludovica Felicita Gennara of Savoy (born in Naples, 24 February 1940), is daughter of Umberto II, last king of Italy, and his wife, Princess Marie José of Belgium.
[edit] Marriage
She married Robert Zellinger de Balkany (born 1931) on February 12, 1969 in Saint-Mesme. The religious wedding was celebrated later on June 21, 1969 at Eze-sur-Mer, with the couple separating in 1976. They divorced in 1990. She was educated in languages and is a noted historian, especially on Italian issues. She has also authored a number of books.
The couple had one child:
- Marie Elizabeth Zellinger de Balkany (born 1972, married Olivier Janssens in 2003)
[edit] Relationship with the Shah of Iran
In the 1950s, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, Shah of Iran, then divorced from his second wife, indicated his interest in marrying Princess Maria Gabriella. Pope John XXIII reportedly vetoed the suggestion. In an editorial about the rumors surrounding the marriage of "a Muslim sovereign and a Catholic princess", the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, considered the match "a grave danger."[1]
[edit] References
- ^ Paul Hofmann, Pope Bans Marriage of Princess to Shah, The New York Times, 24 February 1959, p. 1.
