In a story that has enthralled many Italians, the pretender to the Italian throne, Victor Emmanuel, has been jailed over his alleged involvement in a sex scandal.

The prince prefers to stay in jail rather than be granted house arrest in a nearby rented villa -- because, he says, there is no air conditioning.

The lead investigator in the case, Henry John Woodcock, has become a minor celebrity. He is a Neapolitan with an English father.

Transcribed wiretaps that have been published by the media reveal an underworld of right-wing politicians promising showgirls jobs in TV in exchange for sex -- which is said to take place inside the foreign ministry.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.