 In northern Italy, which had been ruled by the Italian Social Republic, the charges of homosexuality made against Umberto had an impact on the voters, causing at least some conservatives to vote for the republic.From his exile in Egypt, where King Farouk had welcomed him as a guest, Victor Emmanuel expressed no surprise at the result of the referendum as he always viewed Umberto as a failure who was unfit to be king, and claimed that the monarchists would have won the referendum if only he had not abdicated.Umberto himself had expected to win the referendum and was deeply shocked when the majority of his subjects chose a republic.