Marie José of Belgium Claretta Petacci, claimed in her diary that in 1937 the then princess and wife of the heir to the throne tried and failed to seduce the dictator at a beach resort near Rome. However, Mussolini's son, Romano, claims that the princess and dictator entered into a sexual relationship. In 1943, the Crown Princess involved herself in vain attempts to arrange a separate peace treaty between Italy and the United States; her interlocutor from the Vatican was Monsignor Giovanni Battista Montini, a senior diplomat who later became Pope Paul VI. Her attempts were not sponsored by the king and Umberto was
William the Dictator William the Dictator William — The Dictator is the 20th book of children's short stories in the Just William series by Richmal Crompton. This book contains 10 stories. It was first published in 1938, and the first published versions are now rare collectors items. William's friends are away at the seaside, and in his boredom, he tries to make friends with Lucinda, newly arrived at the village. Lucinda is friendly with him only to 'show' her neighbour Ralph Montague, a red-haired boy, who had rejected her overtures of friendship, and wants him to fight that boy. William makes friends with