Irma Capece Minutolo (6 August 1935 – 7 June 2023) was an Italian opera singer who was one of the last companions of King

Farouk I Farouk I (; ar, فاروق الأول ''Fārūq al-Awwal''; 11 February 1920 – 18 March 1965) was the tenth ruler of Egypt from the Muhammad Ali dynasty and the penultimate King of Egypt and the Sudan, succeeding his father, Fuad I, in 193 ...

of Egypt. In later years, she claimed she was the king's last wife and used the name ''Irma Capece Minutolo Farouk''.

Background

Irma Capece Minutolo was born in

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

, Italy on 6 August 1935, reportedly a daughter of Augusto Capece Minutolo. In 1954, ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

'' reported that Capece Minutolo's "right to be called a marchioness was recently disputed when two Italian newsmen declared that her parents were a chauffeur and a janitor's daughter." A trial for slander resulted, though its outcome is unknown.

Career

Capece Minutolo developed a successful opera career after the death of Farouk. In addition to her opera career, she appeared in several motion pictures: *''

Napoletani a Milano ''Napoletani a Milano'' (internationally released as ''Neapolitans in Milan'') is a 1953 Italian comedy film directed by Eduardo De Filippo. It entered the competition at the 14th Venice International Film Festival. In 2008 the film was selected to ...

'' (1953) *'' Siamo Ricchi e Poveri'' (1954) *''

Young Toscanini ''Young Toscanini'' (original title: ''Il giovane Toscanini'') is a 1988 Italian-French biographical drama film directed by Franco Zeffirelli and starring C. Thomas Howell and Elizabeth Taylor. Premise The film charts the early career and rom ...

'' (1988, role: Signora Martelli), a

Franco Zeffirelli Gian Franco Corsi Zeffirelli (12 February 1923 – 15 June 2019), was an Italian stage and film director, producer, production designer and politician. He was one of the most significant opera and theatre directors of the post-World War II era, ...

film starring

Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was a British-American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 1950s. ...

and

C. Thomas Howell Christopher Thomas Howell (born December 7, 1966) is an American actor. He has starred in the films '' Soul Man'', '' The Hitcher'', '' Grandview U.S.A.'', ''Red Dawn'', ''Secret Admirer'' and '' The Outsiders''. He has also appeared in '' Gett ...

*'' Mutande Pazze'' (1992) *''Boom'' (1992)

Declaration of marriage to King Farouk I

In 2005, in an interview with

Al-Ahram Weekly ''Al-Ahram Weekly'' is an English-language weekly broadsheet printed by the Al-Ahram Publishing House in Cairo, Egypt. History and profile ''Al Ahram Weekly'' was established in 1991 by the ''Al-Ahram'' newspaper, which also runs a French-langu ...

, Capece Minutolo said that she married Farouk "in the Islamic tradition" when she was 16 and that she was writing a memoir of her life as the king's wife. Published sources such as ''

'' magazine indicate that Capece Minutolo was born in 1935, which would place her supposed marriage at the age of 16 in 1951. That is the same year that the king married his second wife

Narriman Sadek Narriman Sadek (Arabic: ناريمان صادق or Nariman Sadiq) (31 October 1933 – 16 February 2005) was the daughter of Hussain Fahmi Sadiq Bey, a high-ranking official in the Egyptian government, and his wife Asila Kamil. She was the se ...

. Capece Minutolo also stated that she and Farouk had been married, at the time of his death in 1965, for a total of eight years, which would mean that the purported ceremony took place in 1957. However, in 1954, ''

'' in describing Capece Minutolo as "his current traveling companion, a voluptuous Neapolitan", stated that the singer had declined to marry the deposed monarch, claiming, "Farouk is sensible and tender, but marriage is the tomb of love." Six years later, the couple's legal status had not changed, since ''Time'' described the singer as the former king's "one conspicuous indulgence: buxom, blonde Irma Capece Minuto ic his on-again-off-again sweetheart, whom Farouk may marry sometime." However, in Farouk's death notice, published in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', Capece Minutolo was identified as "Farouk's constant companion in recent years." Capece Minutolo further stated that she was 24 when Farouk died, in 1965, which would place her birth year as 1941. In February 1954, however, the same month that King Farouk and Queen Narriman divorced, ''Time'' referred to the singer as the King's "latest collector's item" and gave her age as 18, which would place her birth in 1935, given her birthday (6 August). Capece Minutolo's claim of having married the exiled Egyptian monarch has not been substantiated.

Death

Irma Capece Minutolo died on 7 June 2023, at the age of 87.Morta la cantante Irma Capece Minutolo, legata a re Faruq

References

External Links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Capece Minutolo, Irma 1935 births 2023 deaths Italian opera singers Singers from Naples