Umberto II was the last King of Italy. Umberto's reign lasted for 34 days, from 9 May 1946 until his formal deposition on 12 June 1946, although he had been the de facto head of state since 1944. Due to his short reign, he was nicknamed the May King.
Umberto, then the Prince of Piedmont, in 1944
Photo of Umberto, Prince of Piedmont, prior to the First World War
Prince Umberto during his visit to Chile, in 1924
Portrait by Philip de László, 1928
The House of Savoy is an Italian royal house that was established in 1003 in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, the family grew in power from ruling a small Alpine county north-west of Italy to absolute rule of the Kingdom of Sicily from 1713 to 1720, when they were handed the island of Sardinia, over which they would exercise direct rule from then onward.
Hautecombe Abbey, where many of the dukes are buried