The Counts of Villafranca and later the Counts of Villafranca-Soissons are legitimate male line descendants of Thomas Francis, Prince of Carignano

Thomas Francis, Prince of Carignano

Thomas Francis of Savoy was an Italian military commander, the founder of the Savoy-Carignano branch of the House of Savoy which reigned as kings of Sardinia from 1831 to 1861, and as kings of Italy from 1861 until the...

 the founder of the Carignano

Savoy-Carignano

The Savoy-Carignano family , was a junior line of the House of Savoy. It was founded by Thomas Francis of Savoy, Prince di Carignano 21 December 1596 - 22 January 1656), an Italian military commander...

 line of the House of Savoy

House of Savoy

The House of Savoy was formed in the early 11th century in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, it grew from ruling a small county in that region to eventually rule the Kingdom of Italy from 1861 until the end of World War II, king of Croatia and King of Armenia...

. The title was created in 1778 for Prince Eugenio of Savoy (1753–1785). The third count Prince Eugenio Emanuele married in 1863 to Felicita Crosio (1844–1911) in what was a morganatic marriage. His wife was created Countess of Villafranca-Soissons in 1888 so the descendants of the marriage bear the title Count/Countess of Villafranca-Soissons. The current head of the Villafranca-Soissons line is Count Edoardo (born 1945) the grandson of the first count of Villafranca-Soissons via his second son Count Giuseppe Carlo (1904–1971).

Counts of Villafranca (1778-1888)

• Prince Eugenio, Count of Villafranca (1778–1785)
• Prince Giuseppe Maria, Count of Villafranca (1785–1810)
• Prince Eugenio Emanuele, Count of Villafranca (1810–1888)

Counts of Villafranca-Soissons (1888-present)

• Emanuele Filiberto, Count of Villafranca-Soissons (1888–1933)
• Eugenio Giuseppe, Count of Villafranca-Soissons (1933–1974)
• Edoardo, Count of Villafranca-Soissons (1974–present)
  • First Heir presumptive: Count Emanuele Filiberto of Villafranca-Soissons (born 1942)
  • Second Heir presumptive: Count Gabriele of Villafranca-Soissons (born 1947)
  • Third Heir presumptive: Count Leopoldo of Villafranca-Soissons (born 1955)
  • Fourth Heir presumptive: Count Daniel of Villafranca-Soissons (born 1994)
  • Fifth Heir presumptive: Count Carlo Alberto of Villafranca-Soissons (born 1982)