Maria Pia of Italy (Giovinezza)

Maria Pia of Italy (born 24 September 1934) is, and has been since her appointment at the age of eight, the Queen of the Italy. She is the eldest child of former King Umberto II and his wife, Marie-José of Belgium, and older sister of Victor Emmanuel IV, who also became King of Italy at a young age after the assassination of Umberto II.

Maria Pia became the Queen of Italy after the invasion of Italy by Germany during World War II and the assassination of her brother and then-King of Italy, Victor Emmanuel IV. She was evacuated to Rome by Italian partisans and was hidden in the Palazzo di Venezia along with the surviving members of the House of Savoy. With the line of succession completely butchered by the Germans, Italian Duce Benito Mussolini used his power and influence to change the rules of succession and named Maria Pia Queen of Italy during a speech on the balcony of the palace. Benito Mussolini then adopted Maria Pia, the sole survivor of her family, with the Duce acting as her regent due to her young age.

Maria Pia's reign is a very memorable one, the Queen proving herself to be strong and proud even at a young age. One of the most significant events in her life was her speech before a crowd in Rome just before the Germans attacked the city. This event has been widely regarded as the driving force behind the exhausted Italian defenders' successful counterattack after the Siege of Rome. She also partook in many state visits to various Allied and Axis nations and was present at several notable meetings such as the Tehran Conference, Yalta Conference and Potsdam Conference, all of which were highly publicized and raised Maria Pia's popularity to unprecedented heights.

Since coming of age and assuming the responsibilities that come with being the Queen of Italy, Maria Pia's reign has seen several events of personal significance. She famously rebelled against tradition by publicly turning down seeking to marry a normal citizen of Italy. Benito Mussolini's strict rule against marrying non-royally caused Maria Pia to forsake marriage until she was allowed to marry whomever she wanted. Although the Duce continued this prohibition until his death, Galeazzo Ciano had no intention or even any power to prevent Maria Pia from marrying a commoner, and the Queen promptly married Romano Di Principe, a local Neapolitan.