Prince Aimone, Duke of Apulia


Prince Aimone of Savoy-Aosta, Duke of Aosta is the second child and first son of Prince Amedeo, 5th Duke of Aosta, one of the two claimants to the former throne of Italy. In 2006, his father declared himself Duke of Savoy and head of the House of Savoy; since then Prince Aimone has styled himself Duke of Aosta. However, because the headship of the royal house is disputed between his father and Vittorio Emanuele, Prince of Naples, he is still referred to as Duke of Apulia.

Education and career

Prince Aimone was born in Florence the second child and only son of Prince Amedeo of Savoy, Duke of Aosta and his first wife, Princess Claude of Orléans. Aimone attended the Francesco Morosini Naval Military School and Bocconi University. After he completed his education, Aimone worked at JPMorgan Chase in the United Kingdom. He also served a period in the Italian Navy's special forces. Since 2000, Aimone has worked in Russia as president of the Italian company Pirelli.

Engagement and marriage

Aimone's engagement to Princess Olga of Greece, daughter of Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark, was announced in May 2005. Olga and Aimone are second cousins; both being great-grandchildren of the French pretender Prince Jean, Duke of Guise. They are also second cousins-once-removed, as George I of Greece is Olga's patrilineal great-grandfather and Aimone's great-great-grandfather. Several falsely reported wedding dates marked what was to become a three-year engagement. The couple finally wed on 16 September 2008 at the Italian embassy in Moscow, the city in which Aimone is employed. Their religious marriage took place on 27 September 2008 at Patmos.

Children

Prince Aimone and Princess Olga have three children, two sons and one daughter:
On 7 July 2006 Aimone's father, Prince Amedeo, assumed the headship of the House of Savoy and the title Duke of Savoy, claiming that his cousin Vittorio Emanuele, Prince of Naples, had lost his dynastic rights when he married without the legally required permission of King Umberto II in 1971. Since then Aimone has used the title Duke of Aosta.