A court in Italy has rejected a request by the descendants of the country's last king to reclaim the royal crown jewels.
As the judge stressed, national treasures remain the property of the state, while describing the claim as " clearly unfounded ".
In February 2022, the descendants of Italy's last monarch sued the Italian state to claim the jewels, which have been in a vault at the Bank of Italy since 1946.
The descendants of King Umberto II of Savoy have failed to reach an agreement with the Bank for the return of the jewels, which include more than 6,000 diamonds and 2,000 pearls, necklaces and tiaras worn by princesses and queens during the 85-year life of the Italian monarchy. Their value is estimated at 300 million euros, A2 CNN reports.
Umberto had asked the then Minister of the Royal Household to transfer the jewels to the then Governor of the Bank of Italy for safekeeping.
The jewels are said to have been the only piece of royal property that was not confiscated by the Italian state after the abolition of the monarchy in 1946. For this reason, the former royal family hoped to regain possession of them.
Following the decision, the lawyer for the king's descendants announced that they would appeal to the European Court of Human Rights, asking the Italian state to return the value of all properties that once belonged to the last king of Italy. (A2 Televizion)
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