Baby girl for former Italy royals

Italy might be warming to the former monarchy members

The former royal family of Italy - the House of Savoy - has announced the birth of a new baby girl.

Vittoria Cristina Adelaide Chiara Maria was born on Sunday at 1932 (1832GMT) in the Swiss city of Geneva.

Her father, Emmanuel Filiberto, was allowed to marry in Italy last year after a ban on allowing male royalty from entering the country was lifted.

He is the grandson of Italy's last king, Umberto II, and his wife is a French actress, Clotilde Courau.

The couple were married in Rome on 25 September.

In March, the prince swore loyalty to the Italian Republic under a new law which allowed descendants of former king Victor Emmanuele II to return to Italy after decades of exile.

The original ban was introduced after World War II to punish the House of Savoy for the support offered by King Victor Emmanuel III, Umberto II's father, to the Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.

Historic legacy

The youngest addition to the family is named after her grandfather Vittorio Emanuele.

She is also named "Cristina" to respect a tradition of her mother's family.

The family's intention was for Vittoria to be born in Rome but her father could not travel because he is still recovering from a motorbike accident.

The Savoy family are understood to have inquired about the procedure to have the birth registered at the Italian Consulate in Geneva so that she can be an Italian citizen.