Clotilde Marie Pascale di Savoia, Princess of Venice (née Clotilde Marie Pascale Courau; born 3 April 1969) is a French actress. She is married to Emanuele Filiberto di Savoia,[1] a member of the House of Savoy and the grandson of Umberto II, the last king of Italy.

Clotilde Courau
Courau in 2017
Born
Clotilde Marie Pascale Courau

(1969-04-03) 3 April 1969 (age 55)
TitlePrincess of Venice (titular Queen of Italy)
Spouse
(m. 2003)
ChildrenVittoria
Luisa

Family

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Clotilde Marie Pascale Courau was born on 3 April 1969 in Levallois-Perret, Hauts-de-Seine, France, the eldest daughter of Jean-Claude Courau (b. 1942), an engineer, and French noblewoman Catherine Marie Antoinette du Pontavice des Renardières (b. 1948), a school teacher, daughter of Count Pierre François Marie Antoine du Pontavice des Renardières (b. 1926), whose family can be traced back to the 13th century. She has three sisters named Christine, Camille and Capucine Courau. She lived as a child, with her sisters, between Paris, Egypt and Benin. The Courau sisters were brought up in the Roman Catholic religion.

Acting career

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In 1991, Courau was nominated for a César, for Most Promising Actress (Meilleur espoir féminin), and won a European Film Award for Best Actress, both for the film Le petit criminel (1990). She then appeared in Dusty Hughes' A Slip of the Tongue opposite John Malkovich on the stage, and in Vincent Ward's Map of the Human Heart. In 1995, she won the Prix Suzanne Bianchetti at the SACD Awards. She was nominated again for a César twice in 1996 for Best Supporting Actress (Meilleur second rôle féminin) and Most Promising Actress (Meilleur espoir féminin) both for the film Élisa. In 1998 she was named one of European cinema's "Shooting Stars" by European Film Promotion and in 2000 she won the Prix Romy Schneider. She was created a Dame of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France on 7 February 2007.

Marriage

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Clotilde Courau announced her engagement on 10 July 2003 and on 25 September married Emanuele Filiberto, Prince of Venice, at the Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri in Rome. At the ceremony, she wore a wedding gown designed by Valentino. Six months pregnant at the time, she was seen as a controversial bride because of her left-wing views.[2]

The couple have two daughters:

Rose

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In 2009, her name was given to a rose created by the rose grower Fabien Ducher to mark the 500,000th visitor to the Jardins de l'Imaginaire, Terrasson.[3]

Political views

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In December 2023, alongside 50 other filmmakers, Courau signed an open letter published in Libération demanding a ceasefire and an end to the killing of civilians amid the 2023 Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, as well as the establishment of a corridor into Gaza for humanitarian aid and the release of hostages.[4][5][6]

Filmography

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Honours

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National honours

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Dynastic honour

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References

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  1. ^ Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh. Burke's Royal Families of the World: Volume I Europe & Latin America. Burke's Peerage Ltd., 1977, London, p. 367. ISBN 0-85011-023-8
  2. ^ "BBC News". 25 September 2003. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  3. ^ "Ot-terrason.com". Ot-terrasson.com. Archived from the original on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  4. ^ "Gaza : des cinéastes du monde entier demandent un cessez-le-feu immédiat". Libération (in French). 28 December 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  5. ^ Newman, Nick (29 December 2023). "Claire Denis, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Christian Petzold, Apichatpong Weerasethakul & More Sign Demand for Ceasefire in Gaza". The Film Stage. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  6. ^ "Directors of cinema sign petition for immediate ceasefire". The Jerusalem Post. 31 December 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  7. ^ "Clotilde Courau – 7 février 2007". Culture.gouv.fr. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  8. ^ "French Minister of Culture Awards Arts Honours | Getty Images". Gettyimages.ca. 7 February 2007. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  9. ^ "Blogspot". Archived from the original on 13 January 2017. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  10. ^ "Grand Master receives Collar of the Most Holy Annunciation – Order of Malta".
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Clotilde Courau
Born: 3 April 1969
Titles in pretence
Preceded by — TITULAR —
Queen consort of Italy
3 February 2024 – present
Reason for succession failure:
Kingdom abolished in 1946
Incumbent