III. Victor Emanuel (Naples, November 11, 1869 - Alexandria, Egypt, December 28, 1947) royal prince of Italy, heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Italy from 1878, king of Italy from July 29, 1900 until his abdication in 1946, 1939-1943 King of Albania, Emperor of Ethiopia between 1936-1941, and titular King of Cyprus, Jerusalem and Armenia. Member of the House of Savoy. He continued his studies in Naples, Como and Florence, and then served in the Italian army. His height barely exceeded 150 centimeters, and due to his restrained and simple lifestyle, many called him only the "citizen king". 1896. On October 24, he married Princess Ilona Petrović-Njegoš (1873–1952), the fifth daughter of King Nicholas I of Montenegro. The civil wedding took place in the Quirinale Palace, and the church wedding was held in the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri in Rome. Ilona had five children. The Kingdom of Italy entered the war as an ally of Hitler in the Second World War. The king opposed this and emphasized that the country was not prepared for war. The losses suffered battered III. Viktor Emanuel's popularity as well. After the Allied landings in Sicily, he played a role in the sidelining of Mussolini. After Mussolini was voted down by the Fascist Grand Council, he was dismissed and arrested by the king on July 25, 1943. Marshal Pietro Badoglio formed a new government. III. On September 3, 1943, Viktor Emanuel renounced his titles as King of Albania and Emperor of Ethiopia, and his government requested an armistice from the Allied Powers and declared war on the German Empire on October 7, 1943. However, this did not go smoothly, as the Germans freed Mussolini and took control of northern Italy, so the king fled to the south. 1946. On May 9, he abdicated under pressure from left-wing parties. He lost his former popularity due to his earlier support of the fascists, thus handing over the power of head of state to his son II. He handed it over to Umberto. He himself emigrated to Egypt, where he was received by the Egyptian king Farouk. He was followed into exile by his grandson II. Bulgarian Tsar Simeon with his mother, the Italian royal princess Johanna. The exiled III. Viktor Emanuel died on December 28, 1947 in Alexandria. She was buried in the St. Catherine's Cathedral in Alexandria. After years of planning, on December 5, 2017, Queen Ilona's remains were first transferred from Montpellier, France to the sanctuary of the Church of Mary in Vicoforte, Italy (Santuario di Vicoforte), and then two days later to III. The remains of Viktor Emanuel were also brought to the same place.

After the invasion of Italy in 1939, a series of new coins of Albania started in stainless steel with denominations of 0.20, 0.50 and 1 lek, and silver 2, 5 and 10 lek. In 1940, the production of 0.05 and 0.10 lek aluminum bronze was stopped. On the obverse of the coins III. The portrait of the Albanian King Victor Emmanuel and the face of the Albanian eagle can be seen on the reverse side.