The most glittering of the daughters of TM King Umberto II and Queen Maria José of Italy was undoubtedly HRH Princess Maria Gabriella. Her beauty and elegance captured Europe during the 1950’s and the 1960’s and her possible marriage to various European princes was a favourite rumour in the European press. Here she is shown attending the civil wedding of HRH The Prince of Liège and Donna Paola Ruffo di Calabria, in 1959.

A rather impressive picture of Princess Maria Gabriella at the time of her wedding to Robert Zellinger de Balkany, in June 1969, in Eze-sur-Mer. The Princess wears her mother’s diamond and pearl earrings.

Princess Maria Gabriella and her husband, who divorced in 1990, are pictured on the day of their daughter Elisabeth’s coming out ball in Venice. Among the guests at the ball were TRH Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and Princess Salima Aga Khan, at the time still Begum.

Two pictures of Princess Maria Gabriella wearing some of the jewellery she received from her mother. On the left, one of the two splendid diamond and sapphire necklaces, the other, longer one, having been left to HRH The Duke of Savoy and Prince of Naples and being worn now by HRH Princess Marina. On the right, the diamond and pearl demi-parure, originally a diadem created by Musy for the 1st Duchess of Aosta.

The Princess is pictured here wearing the same diamond and pearl demi-parure at a charity event in Geneva. To her left are Baroness Nadine Rotschild, wearing an impressive pearl necklace, and HSH Princess Ira zu Fürstenberg.

A dazzling picture of the Princess with Salvador Dalí.

HRH Princess Maria Gabriella and her former husband, Robert Balkany, are seen attending together the gala held in the Palace of Queluz on the eve of the wedding of HRH The Duke of Braganza, Head of the Portuguese Royal House, to D. Isabel de Herédia. The Princess wears the diamond and pearl demi-parure described before.

A charming picture of HM Queen Maria José and her daughter, Princess Maria Gabriella, at the late Queen’s house in Geneva.