This week marks the 55th birthday of one of the most glamorous names in Parisian high society: Princess Clotilde Marie Pascale of Savoy, also known as the Princess of Venice, or Clotilde Courau. Originally an acclaimed French actress who rose to fame in the 1990s, in 2003, she married Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy, Prince of Venice and the grandson of Umberto II, the last king of Italy.
Although the titles and distinctions of the Italian royal family have been dissolved since Italy became a republic in 1946, the remaining members of the House of Savoy still use some of the various titles they acquired over their reign. Thus, Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy is known as the Prince of Venice or the Prince of Piedmont while his wife is referred to as Princess of Savoy, Princess of Venice or Princess of Piedmont.
Clotilde Marie Pascale Courau was born on 3 April in 1969 to French parents in Levallois-Perret, a residential suburb of Paris, which sits on the banks of the Seine. Her mother was a teacher and a French noblewoman, the daughter of Count Pierre Francoise Marie Antoine du Pontavice des Renardières, whose family can be traced back to the 13th century, while her father was an engineer. She and her three sisters, Christine, Camille and Capucine, spent their childhood between France and Africa.
Age 16, Clotilde chose to focus on a career in acting. She was given her first film role in 1990, in a French film called Le Petit Criminel by Jacques Doillon, for which she won a César award, the national film award of France. Over the 1990s, she appeared in multiple films including Polshi Crash and Ugly Meets the People.
Royals from around the world have taken to raiding each other's wardrobes to look for vintage pieces for events
In 1998 she was named as one of European cinema’s ‘Shooting Stars’ by the European Film Promotion, and she won the Romy Schneider Award in 2000, which is awarded to a young actor working in the French film industry. More recently, she featured in 2007 Édith Piaf biopic La Vie en Rose (for which Marion Cotillard won the Academy Award) and An Easy Girl in 2019.
In September 2003, Clotide and Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy announced their engagement and were married at the Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri in Rome. 1,300 guests attended the wedding, including Pierre Cardin, French rock star Johnny Hallyday and Valentino Garavani, who designed her dress. The Prince and Princess of Venice now have two daughters, Princess Vittoria Chiara, who is a model, and Princess Luisa Giovanna.
The House of Savoy was the ruling House of Italy from 1861 to 1946, when they were overthrown by the Italian Republic. The last figurehead King, Victor Emmanuel III remained until 1946, when he abdicated in favour of his son, Umberto II (Emanuele Filiberto di Savoia’s father), in an attempt to save the monarchy. However, the Italian people voted for a republic which ended his rule. With that, a clause was included in Italy’s constitution which banned the family from returning to Italy. They moved to Switzerland and the monarchist movement went into decline. However, in 2002, the ban was repealed and the family were reconciled with their country.
