 Certainly during the war, newspapers asserted that he was homosexual, and information continued to be spread in the lead-up to the post-war referendum on the monarchy in the hope of influencing the outcome.It is, however, unclear to what extent such rumours could be substantiated.Umberto's custom of giving a fleur-de-lis made of precious stones to favoured young officials in his entourage was well known, and Umberto's lovers may have included Jean Marais; there was a former army lieutenant who published details of Umberto's advances to him.