Remains of the penultimate Queen of Italy transferred to Italy

The remains of the penultimate Queen of Italy, Elena of Montenegro, were returned to Italy last month.

Queen Elena and her husband King Victor Emmanuel III were exiled in 1946 after a referendum ended the monarchy. They first went to live in Egypt, where they were welcomed by King Farouk. King Victor Emmanuel died a year later of pulmonary congestion in Alexandria. Elena remained in Egypt for a while before moving to France. While in Montpellier, she was diagnosed with cancer and died during an operation to treat it in 1952.

Her remains were transferred from Montpellier to the sanctuary of Vicoforte near Turin. Her husband’s remains arrived two days later from Alexandria and were interred alongside hers.