ROME - Lucrezia Odescalchi, a 61-year-old princess descending from the Italian Como family, was arrested after allegedly attempting to shoplift a duvet and a suitcase before she preceded to attack the salesman in charge with a hairbrush, police said Thursday.

 The princess, belonging to a family from whom a pope, three cardinals and two bishops have been elected, was arrested and charged with theft.

 During the incident on Monday in an Oviesse department store in Rome the princess took the tags off a duvet and a suitcase and headed out the shop, carefully bypassing the tills. When she was stopped by a salesman who had observed the scene a squabble broke out that quickly descended into a fully blown flight.

 “Do you have the receipt for those belongings?” an attendant asked. “No I don’t, I was about to pay,” the princess replied. At this point she was held whilst the police were called.

 Next, angered by questions asked by a 35-year-old Senegalese salesman, the princess changed her tone completely. She insulted him and flew into a rage, drawing a hairbrush from her bag and attacking him whilst trying to escape.

 Her valiant effort, however, was in vain. Police from the Dante square arrived, brought out their handcuffs and arrested her. The value of the objects came to 48 euros.  

 On Wednesday, during the court case, the arrest was validated by public minister Luigi Fede. Princess Odescalchi justified herself by saying that it wasn’t her that removed the labels and that she was ‘just about’ to pay.

 cb