The Story of Beatrice Borromeo and Victor Manuel de Saboya
In this section, Peñafiel analyzes every week the most fascinating characters in the world of the heart and tells stories and anecdotes, many of which he experienced first-hand. Beatrice Borromeo is an Italian aristocrat and journalist, married to Pierre Casiraghi, third son of Princess Carolina of Monaco and nephew of the current sovereign, Alberto II. These weeks she is in the news for having produced and directed a docuseries, ‘The Prince Who Never Reigned’, in which she tries to shed light on one of the most controversial members of the royalty, Victor Manuel de Saboya.
The Relationship Between Juan Carlos I and Victor Manuel
And at the end of the last episode, King Juan Carlos is mentioned, gratuitously, in connection with the accidental death of his brother, Alfonso. Juan Carlos and Victor Manuel when they were young. When the Italian thought he was no longer being recorded, he said: “I have many things to tell about Juan Carlos, but I can’t. He was very rude to my wife and me when we had disagreements. And I don’t know why, because we always were very friendly.” He then adds: “Juanito made a big mess. He killed his brother! He didn’t shoot him directly, but through a wardrobe. I was there”. I must say that it is not true that the prince was there on the day of the incident, as he says. It turns out that he and his family were exiled, like the Bourbons, in Portugal, but not in Estoril, where the fatal accident occurred, but in Cascais. Juan Carlos I and Victor Manuel, greeting each other. I know the story of that tragic day, March 29, 1956, by heart and I have it well documented. It was never “surrounded by mystery” nor were there “two versions”, as said in the documentary. It was Holy Thursday. The family had attended religious services. Upon returning to Villa Giralda, the home of the Counts of Barcelona, and while dinner was being prepared, Juanito and his brother were entertained in the playroom with a 22 caliber pistol that had been given to Juan Carlos, a cadet at the General Military Academy of Zaragoza, and that his mother kept. And while they were manipulating the gun, the accident happened. At that moment, the gun was handled by Juanito, who was going to shoot at a supposed target without knowing that it was loaded. As you can see, only the two brothers were there. It is true that there has always been a good relationship between the Bourbon and Saboya families and that they shared meals, dinners and golf. In addition, one of Victor Manuel’s sisters, Maria Gabriela, could have been queen of Spain, as the first love of Don Juan Carlos. Beatrice interviewing Victor Manuel.
The Tragic Incident on Cavallo Island
But let’s go back to Victor Manuel and his problems. Of which, the most serious took place on the island of Cavallo, in Corsica, in 1978 and ended with the death of Dirk Hamer, a 19-year-old German, who was with a group of young people who stayed overnight near the prince’s summer residence.
