Umberto II of Italy in preparation on the abolition of the monarchy in 1946, Victor Emmanuel abdicated his throne in favour of Umberto in the hope his exit might bolster the monarchy. However, the referendum passed, Italy was declared a republic, and Umberto lived out the rest of his life in exile in Cascais, on the Portuguese Riviera. Umberto was born at the Castle of Racconigi in Piedmont. He was the third child, and the only son, of King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy and his wife, Elena of Montenegro. As such, he became heir apparent upon his birth, since the Italian throne was
The King and Country debate The King and Country debate The King and Country debate took place at the Oxford Union debating society of Oxford University in England on 9 February 1933. The motion, "that this House will in no circumstances fight for its King and Country", was carried by 275 votes to 153. It is one of the most widely reported and discussed debates conducted at the Oxford Union. Prior to the debate, a similar motion had been proposed at the Cambridge Union by Arthur Ponsonby in March 1927: "That lasting peace can only be secured by the people of England adopting an uncompromising