Clara Petacci was the woman who remained loyal to Benito Mussolini until the very end.
Born into a wealthy and influential family in Rome, Clara became fascinated with Mussolini as a teenager and dreamed of meeting the man she regarded as Italy's greatest leader. After a chance encounter in 1932, she began a relationship that would last for more than a decade and place her at the centre of Fascist Italy's inner circle.
As war, political upheaval, and military defeat brought Mussolini's regime to the brink of collapse, Clara refused to abandon him. Even when given opportunities to escape, she chose to remain by his side as he attempted to flee northern Italy in the final days of the Second World War.
Captured by Italian partisans near Lake Como, Clara shared Mussolini's fate on 28 April 1945. Her life remains one of the most controversial and debated stories connected to Fascist Italy.
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