She was born Principessa Iolanda Margherita Milena Elisabetta Romana Maria di Savoia (English:Princess Yolanda Margaret Milena Elizabeth Romaine Mary of Savoy) inRome, Italy, as the eldest child and daughter of KingVictor Emmanuel III of Italy andElena of Montenegro. As a young woman she was a great sportswoman, particularly interested in swimming and riding.
During theGreat War, newspapers published reports of her engagement to the Prince of Wales, the futureEdward VIII, who was serving in Italy in 1918. There was no basis for these rumors, but they were resurrected in 1919 when Yolanda joined her mother Elena of Montenegro, her sisterPrincess Mafalda of Savoy, and the Duchess of Aosta (Princess Hélène of Orléans) on a visit to Paris, where the prince happened to be at the same time.[1]
After her marriage Yolanda lived in the town ofPinerolo, southwest ofTurin.
In 1946, Yolanda and her family went into voluntary exile with her father inAlexandria, Egypt. After King Victor Emmanuel's death, Yolanda and her family returned to Italy, where they lived at Castelporziano.
Yolanda died in a hospital inRome and is buried inTurin. The Giardini Principessa Iolanda inNaples are named after her.
^Nicolas Enache, La Descendance de Marie-Therese de Habsburg, Reine de Hongrie et de Boheme [Paris, 1996], pp. 201-202; Burke's Royal Families of the World [London, 1977], p. 367
House of Savoy: Knight Grand Cross of theRoyal Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus[6][7]
