Prince of Naples buried: European royal family gathers for the funeral of Prince Vittorio Emanuele, son of Italy's last king, at Turin Cathedral

Italy's former royal family will gather today in Turin for the funeral of Prince Vittorio Emanuele of Naples, who died aged 86.

His coffin lay in state in the Sant'uberto Chapel on the eve of the funeral service, and his wife Princess Marina, 88, and their son Prince Emanuele Filiberto of Venice, 51, remained by his side.

Prince Vittorio, the son of Italy's last king, Umberto II, died earlier this month.

His funeral, which takes place at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in northern Italy, appeared to be a lavish affair, with extravagant flower arrangements at the door.

Prince Vittorio's son, Prince Emanuele Filiberto, was pictured entering the cathedral in a long black coat, shielding himself from the rain with an umbrella.

Shortly afterwards, his mother, the recently widowed Princess Marina, arrived.

Princess Olga of Savoy-Aosta and Prince Aimone were also among the early arrivals, dressed entirely in black.

There were also numerous European royals in attendance, including Albert, Prince of Monaco, who was without his wife Charlene, and Queen Sofía of Spain.

The Prince of Naples was the son of Italy's last king, Umberto II, who went into exile after the country voted to become a republic in 1946.

However, despite the results of the referendum, the House of Savoy always maintained its claim to the throne and cited the Spanish example to prove its point.

Spain restored its monarchy in 1975 when the country returned to democracy after the death of General Franco.

After the House of Savoy fled Italy at the age of nine, Prince Vittorio Emanuele spent most of his life in exile in Switzerland and Portugal.

He subsequently married Marina Ricolfi Doria and the couple had a son, Emanuele Filiberto.

After decades of struggle, the Prince of Naples finally returned to Italian territory in 2002, after parliament revoked a clause in the Italian constitution that banned his family from setting foot in the country.

During his visit, he held an audience with Pope John Paul II, but met a frosty reception from the Italian people.

The heir to the defunct throne was no stranger to controversy during his lifetime, having also been arrested in connection with the death of a German teenager in 1978.

Dirk Hamer was 19 years old and sleeping on a boat in a Corsican harbor when he was shot in the right leg. He died three months later.

The Italian prince was also in port at the time, arguing with a group of tourists whom he accused of stealing his inflatable boat.

More than a decade later, Vittorio Emanuele was arrested in France in connection with the murder, but was acquitted by a Paris court in 1991. He received a suspended sentence for possession of a gun.

Twenty years later, however, the plot became even more complicated when a recording emerged of the exiled royal appearing to admit to killing Hamer.

It was filmed in Potenza prison, where he was held ahead of a trial for extortion and involvement in prostitution (of which he was acquitted).

During the 2006 recording, he tells other inmates that he went for a ride with the court after his acquittal.

In the video, he described firing two shots that hit the tourist as he slept on his boat off Cavallo Island in 1978.

After the clip appeared, he dismissed it as “manipulated” and “not true.”

In the clip, as reported by the Independent, the exiled prince said: 'I was wrong… wrong.

“I have to say I took them for a ride… the prosecutor asked for five years and six months. I was sure I would win.

'They gave me a suspended sentence of six months [for arms possession]; There was an amnesty for six months, they didn't even register [the sentence]. I got out!'

However, Hamer's family renewed their calls for the exiled prince to face justice following the release of the recording.

The mystery surrounding Hamer's death became a focus in the Netflix documentary The King Who Never Was.

The documentary was directed by journalist Beatrice Borromeo, the daughter-in-law of Princess Caroline of Monaco.

It later emerged that Beatrice, who has also modeled for Vogue, was the person who leaked the recording.

Speaking to Tatler last year about the story, Beatrice said: “For as long as I can remember… the story of this case has been part of our lives,” adding that Hamer's mother Birgit is her own mother's best friend.