Italian prince quizzed by investigators

Investigators have begun questioning the son of Italy’s last king in connection with a probe into an alleged corruption and prostitution ring.

Prince Victor Emmanuel’s lawyer, who has rejected the allegations, told reporters the prince decided to be questioned, saying he was “firm and precise.” Victor Emmanuel is the son of Umberto II, who was forced into exile in Switzerland when Italians voted to establish a republic after World War Two. The prince returned to his home country in 2003 when a ban on male descendants of the House of Savoy was lifted. Local media claim Bulgaria’s ex King and former Prime Minister, Simeon de Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, a cousin of the Prince, has been named in the affair. He denies any involvement. Among 13 people detained is a former top aide to the foreign minister in the Berlusconi government. A casino in an Italian enclave near the Swiss border is the focus of the investigation.

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