A Texas-born Italian princess is facing imminent eviction from her royal villa in Rome amid an intense inheritance battle with her stepchildren.
Princess Rita Jenrette Boncompagni Ludovisi, formerly known as American actress Rita Carpenter, was holding out at the Casino dell’Aurora Wednesday night in anticipation of Carabinieri police arriving to escort her out and seize her property Thursday morning.
A Roman judge ordered in January that Ludovisi must vacate the home by April 20 as part of a ruling that she failed to maintain the historic property after a wall collapsed and blocked a nearby street.
Those still in the home Thursday would be forced out of the house, the decree states.
Police are also ordered to take possession of the property, change the locks and “dispose of or destroy” any furniture or documents left behind.
Ludovisi previously said she would “vigorously defend” her lifetime right to stay in the $533 million villa that was bestowed on her by her husband, Prince Nicolo von Boncompagni Ludovisi, followinng his death in 2018.
Rita Jenrette Boncompagni Ludovisi, formerly Rita Carpenter, was holding out at the Casino dell’Aurora Wednesday night in anticipation of Carabinieri police arriving to escort her out and seize her property Thursday morning. AFP via Getty Images
A Roman judge ordered in January that Ludovisi must vacate the home by April 20 as part of a ruling that she failed to maintain the historic property after a wall collapsed and blocked a nearby street. AFP via Getty ImagesThe widow asserted that she and her husband worked diligently to restore the villa — which has been in the Ludovisi family since the early 1600s and features the only ceiling mural known to have been painted by 16th-century Italian Renaissance master Caravaggio.
She claimed to have tried negotiating with her late husband’s children, and called the eviction “unexpected and unjust.”
“What a brutal ending to my beautiful life with my beloved Nicolo,” Ludovisi said Wednesday.
Rita Jenrette was featured on this 1981 issue of Playboy. handout
Jenrette claimed to have tried negotiating with her late husband’s children. NBCUniversal via Getty Images
Jenrette is seen here with Playboy founder Hugh Hefner. NBCUniversal via Getty Images
Jenrette was an actress, and was also once married to former Democratic Congressman John Jenrette. Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images
Ludovisi previously said she would “vigorously defend” her lifetime right to stay in the $533 million villa that was bestowed on her by her husband. AFP via Getty Images
The widow asserted that she and her husband worked diligently to restore the villa — which has been in the Ludovisi family since the early 1600s and features the only ceiling mural known to have been painted by 16th-century Italian Renaissance master Caravaggio. ANSA/AFP via Getty ImagesLudovisi and her stepsons have been locked in a five-year dispute over the home.
The children have argued that their grandfather intended for them to inherit the home and that their late father abused them and mismanaged his fortune.
Ludovisi inherited the home after marrying Prince Nicolo von Boncompagni Ludovisi in 2009 and was solidified as its legatee in his will.
Those still in the home Thursday would be forced out of the house, the decree states. ANSA/AFP via Getty ImagesBefore marrying the prince, Ludovisi was known as an actress and ex-wife of former Democratic Congressman John Jenrette.
Ludovisi famously appeared in two issues of Playboy magazine in the 1980s.
With Post wires
