§ Mr. Granvilleasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the Allied Powers have agreed to Prince Umberto taking over the leadership of the Italian people when the Allies enter Rome.
§ Mr. EdenOn 12th April King Victor Emmanuel announced that, putting into effect what he had suggested to the Allied authorities and to his Government, he had decided to withdraw from public affairs by appointing his son, Crown Prince Umberto, Lieutenant General of the Realm. King Victor added that this appointment would become effective by 785W formal transfer of power on the day on which Allied troops enter Rome. King Victor Emmanuel, in taking this step, was following an established Italian constitutional procedure. As his announcement shows, he had previously mentioned the matter to the Allied authorities, who saw no reason to disapprove his proposal. On the contrary, it was welcomed as being likely to contribute to the formation of a Government on a broader basis. Such a Government has now been constituted.