The Prince, the docu-series about Vittorio Emanuele of Savoy and the case of Cavallo’s murder, tops the Netflix rankings and awaits a surprising ending, to say the least. In an off-air broadcast, the prince “admits” witnessing another “accident” starring young King Juan Carlos. Director and producer Beatrice Borromeo has yet to delve into the how and why of that choice. Now it is like this for the first time. Tell other truths.
Beatrice Borromeo, what’s up?
“I think all the excitement surrounding our series is understandable. Finally, we speak of a matter that many thought they knew, but which has been shrouded in confusion. For the first time in over forty years, we have managed to get all the protagonists and contemporary witnesses of the night to have their say. The result is an unedited and complete story that arouses great enthusiasm both in Italy and abroad.”
Some of the noise also depends on the reveal at the end of the documentary. Don’t say you didn’t expect such a violent reaction after such a surprising ending.
«In fact, I was amazed that in the first few days after its release nobody spoke about this recording, which is essential for a real understanding of the story of Vittorio Emanuele. This scoop seems separated from the rest of the documentary only to a casual observer: the fact that Savoy witnessed a similar incident during his adolescence, that is, during the years that he was learning everything about the world, which caused an immediate cover-up Death (that of Juan Carlos’ younger brother Alfonso, who was killed by an accidental gunshot ed.) is the missing piece to truly understand Cavallo’s story.”
But how did you come to this confession?
“Vittorio Emanuele repeated Juan Carlos’ story several times at the end of his interview, first to me and then to the other members of the crew. It was he himself who spontaneously connected the two events. I think he did it because the two accidents have profound similarities, both in the dynamics of the accidents and the way they were handled afterwards. So I think he wanted to tell us about it so that we could fully understand the context in which he grew up. It was tricky material, but when Paolo Bernardelli, our executive producer, came up with the idea of queuing the recording, we immediately realized it worked because it gave us the extra reading key to do the three all over again to be able to read episodes with a new awareness”.
So did you think a lot about whether you should release this ending or not?
‘I’ve thought about it a lot because I think human relationships need to be protected, especially when they’re formed in unlikely terrain, as with Emanuele Filiberto. I have great respect for the path he has taken in facing the past so that he can close it. But the missing piece that Vittorio Emanuele wanted to share with us, it was right to share it with the public.”
Emanuele Filiberto seems to regret it after helping her create this documentary. How did it go and what’s next?
“He declared that he had no regrets, and I don’t think he should have any regrets either, because what emerges is a profound and unprecedented portrait of him.” I was very pleased that he thought the documentary was balanced, and thanks to his help we were able to open so many more windows on the prince’s life: his childhood, the years in exile, the love story with Marina in Iran, and he was a neglected son who managed to break this anaffective dynamic by becoming a good father . Which, among other things, makes the fact that Emanuele will still defend him for the rest of his life very human.”
Marina Doria never wanted to talk to her, why did she do it this time? ‘In this case too, many thanks to Emanuele Filiberto. I don’t think Marina would ever talk to me, but she agreed to answer my questions about her son, who taped them. It was important to me that she was there, who is so central to the story.”
Someone says that Emanuele Filiberto welcomed her because today she is also a Casiraghi, forgetting that she was a journalist who extensively researched prostitution, mafia and juvenile delinquency. How does he react to these allegations?
‘I think what Emanuele told me is valid: that he likes a clean confrontation. And I really believe that was the case.”
Will the truth ever be written without a fog?
‘The facts and all versions are now available to anyone who wants to know. But this documentary goes beyond investigation, it is the story of traumas passed down through generations and of courageous journeys in search of reconciliation with the past.”