The last King of Portugal, Dom Manuel II, died in exile in 1932.

He left no descendants. And there were no legitimate descendants from his great-grandmother (Queen Dona Maria II), or from his great-great-grandfather (King Dom Pedro IV.

According to Constitutional Charter regulations, which in fact followed the principles of the old Basic Law, the descendant with Portuguese nationality from the previous legitimate collateral line, according to birthright and representation rules, should succeed to the throne, as Head of the Royal House.

The above mentioned previous collateral line included the descendants of Dom Miguel I, son of Dom João VI and uncle, on his father’s side, of Dona Maria II.

Dom Miguel I’s firstborn son was Dom Miguel II. Who in turn had three male children, but only Dom Duarte Nuno had Portuguese nationality.

Thus, following the death of Dom Manuel II, Dom Duarte Nuno became Head of the Royal House of Portugal. Should the monarchy be restored, he would succeed to the throne of Portugal.

And this fact was accredited by almost all monarchists and peacefully accepted throughout the country and abroad.

Dom Duarte Nuno married, before the Portuguese consular authorities in Brazil, Dona Maria Francisca of Orléans-Braganza, legitimate descendant of that country’s Imperial House, and thus of our Dom Pedro IV (Emperor Pedro I of Brazil).

Dom Duarte Pio, born in 1945, was the first child of this marriage, and upon the death of his father in 1976, became the Head of the Royal House of Portugal.

He has always served the Country in this capacity, actively trying to meet the numerous initiatives requested of him, either as representative of the Kings of Portugal, or to keep alive their rich cultural heritage or even to assist and promote assistance to the most disadvantaged, by approaching foreign authorities, namely in the CPLP countries.

Dom Duarte Pio João was born on 15 May 1945 in Bern, Switzerland, as the first of three sons of Dom Duarte Nuno, Duke of Braganza, and Maria Francisca of Orléans-Braganza. His father was the grandson of King Miguel I, while his mother was the great-granddaughter ofEmperor Pedro I of Brazil, who was King Miguel I’s older brother. Dom Duarte Pio’s godparents were Pope Pius XII,Queen Amélie (the mother of King Manuel II, the last monarch of Portugal). From his birth, Duarte Pio has held the honorific styling of Dom (Lord) and the styling of His Royal Highness and, until the death of his father, he held the titles of Prince of Beira.

At the time of his birth, Duarte Pio and the rest of the Royal Family were banned from entering Portugal, by the laws of exile.On 27 May 1950, the Portuguese National Assembly revoked both the laws of exile from 19 December 1834, which banned the “Miguelist” Braganzas, and the laws of exile from 15 October 1910, which banned the “Liberal” Braganzas.In 1951, Dom Duarte visited Portugal for the first time, accompanied by his aunt, Infanta Filipa. In 1952, he moved to Portugal permanently with his parents and brothers.

From 1957 to 1959, Duarte was enrolled in the Colégio Nun’Álvares in Santo Tirso. In 1960, he entered the Colégio Militarin Lisbon.He attended the Instituto Superior de Agronomia (now part of the Technical University of Lisbon) and later the Institute of Development Studies of the University of Geneva.

From 1968 to 1971, Dom Duarte fulfilled his military service as a helicopter pilot in th ePortuguese Air Force in Portuguese Angola at the time of the War opposing Portugal to the pro-independence Guerrilla. In 1972, he participated with a multi-ethnic Angolan group in the organization of an independent list of candidates to the National Assembly. This resulted in his expulsion from Angola by order of the Prime Minister Marcelo Caetano.

In 1995, the Duke marriedDona Isabel Inês de Castro Curvello de Herédia. Their marriage was the first marriage of a Portuguese royal to happen in Portuguese territory since the marriage of King Carlos I, Duarte Pio’s second cousin once removed, and Princess Amélie of Orléans, in 1886. The Duke and Duchess have three children:

Afonso, Prince of Beira, born on 25th March of 1996,

Infanta Maria Francisca, born on 3rdMarch of 1997,

Infante Dinis, Duke of Porto born on 25th November 1999.

Dom Duarte was a major campaigner for the independence of Timor-Leste, a former Portuguese colony which was forcibly annexed by Indonesia in 1975. Before the issue’s global popularity from the 1990s onward, the Duke contributed with several national and international campaigns for the political self-determination of the territory, includingTimor 87 Vamos Ajudar.In 1997, Dom Duarte also suggested a referendum on the independence of East Timor to the Indonesian Vice-President Jusuf Habibie. After Habibie became president of Indonesia in 1999, a referendum was held that resulted in the independence of the country.

In December 2010, Timor-Leste President José Ramos-Horta expressed his interest in making Duarte Pio a Timorese citizen, by which the Duke accepted, because of the”profound and spiritual relations of the Timorese people with Portugal”, continuing by saying that the symbols of the House of Braganza have a”great significance”in Timor-Leste.In February 2012, with final approval and support of Timor-Leste parliament, President Ramos-Horta conferred Timorese citizenship unto Duarte Pio, along with the Order of Merit.President Ramos-Horta stated that these honours were given because of Duarte Pio’s”dedication of a large part of his life to defending justice and liberty for the Timorese people”.

In his capacity as the President of the King Manuel II Foundation, Duarte Pio is often involved with the Community of Portuguese Language Countries, intergovernmental organization for economic, political, and cultural friendship between Portugal and many of its former territories.

The Duke often represents Portugal in cultural matters outside of the country, and has been received by foreign heads of state. Duarte Pio is also a figure within the European network of royal houses, often being invited to various foreign royal events.

H.R.H. Lady Dona Isabel de Braganza was born in Lisbon on November 22, 1966. Until 1976, she lived between Portugal and Angola and studied at the College of Doroteias.

In 1976, her family moved to Brazil. She then studied in São Paulo, at the College of S. Luís, run by the Society of Jesus, until 1988. She graduated in Business Administration from the Getúlio Vargas Foundation in 1990.

In that year, she returned to Portugal and started her professional career in a financial company, BMF – Wealth Management Company, S.A., where she worked until 1995.

On May 13, 1995, she married H.R.H. Dom Duarte, Duke of Braganza, and they have three children: the Princes Dom Afonso de Santa Maria, Lady Maria Francisca, and Dom Dinis.

Since 1995, Lady Dona Isabel has been giving lectures and conferences in various countries. She is a patron of several institutions, including:

• Refúgio Aboim Ascensão – Faro: A private social solidarity institution aimed at admitting, socially adapting, and eventually reintegrating into their natural families children who are victims of physical abuse, neglect, and any other forms of violation of their development and rights.
• Ajuda ao Recém Nascido: An organization affiliated with the Alfredo da Costa Maternity Hospital that provides emergency support to underprivileged newborns. It supports approximately 500 children per year with clothing, medications, food, and milk.
• Trissomia 21: A private non-profit social association with the main objectives of implementing all actions related to the scientific, educational, and social aspects of Trisomy 21, Down syndrome, and other related conditions.
• Associação Portuguesa de Miastenia Grave e Doenças Neuro-Musculares: An association established within the Santa Maria Hospital in Lisbon to improve conditions for patient care, particularly for those with Myasthenia Gravis and neuro-muscular disorders.
• Ajuda de Berço: A temporary shelter for children, from newborns up to three years old, in situations of risk who are unable to receive care from their parents.
• Os Francisquinhos: A social solidarity association of parents and friends of children from the São Francisco Xavier Hospital in Lisbon. The association supports children with birth defects or those born to toxic-dependent or HIV-positive mothers, providing assistance to parents in collaboration with the community.

H.R.H. the Duchess of Braganza is the Grand Mistress of the Royal Order of St. Elizabeth, Grand Cross of the Order of Our Lady of Conception of Vila Viçosa, and Dame Grand Cross of Honor and Devotion of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.

H.R.H. the Prince of Beira, Dom Afonso Santa Maria de Bragança

H.R.H. D. Afonso de Santa Maria Miguel Gabriel Rafael de Bragança was born on March 25, 1996 in Lisbon. He is the eldest son of the Dukes of Braganza. As his father’s heir he has the title of Prince of Beira. D. Afonso, was baptized in the Cathedral of Braga on June 1, 1996, in a ceremony celebrated by the Archbishop of Braga, D. Eurico Dias Nogueira. His godparents were Afonso of Herédia, brother of the Duchess of Braganza and Princess Elena Sofia of Bourbon Two-Sicily. The next day, he was consecrated to Senhora da Oliveira, in the Church of Santa Maria da Oliveira, in Guimarães, a ceremony celebrated by Monsignor José Pinto de Carvalho.

In pre-university education, the Prince of Beira studied at St. Julian’s School, Planalto College in Lisbon, and The Oratory School, a Catholic public school in England. He obtained a degree in Political Science and International Relations at the Portuguese Catholic University, and is finishing his master’s degree in Marine Economics at the New University of Lisbon.

In his career, the Prince of Beira joined the Volunteer Firefighters of Lisbon, having participated in some important actions on the ground (Infante D. Afonso, Duke of Porto, was Honorary Commander of the same brigade). Subsequently, he carried out a period of training in the Portuguese Armed Forces, having passed through all branches (Army, Air Force and Navy).

In professional terms, D. Afonso held internships at the Luso-American Chamber of Commerce, EDP and Accenture. He is currently living in Geneva and works at a major asset management house, Pury Pictet Turrenttini.

On 21 June 2014, the Prince of Beira was invested as a Knight Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion in the Sovereign and Military Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem, Rhodes and Malta. Subsequently, in July 2014, the Duke of Castro awarded the Prince the Grand Cross of Justice of the Sacred and Military Constantinian Order of St. George.

On November 9, 2014, H.R.H. Mr. D. Afonso and H.A. Mrs. Maria Francisca were admitted as brothers of honor in the Royal Brotherhood of the Holy Cross and Steps of Grace.

The Prince of Beira is also a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Our Lady of the Conception of Vila Viçosa and the Royal Order of the Archangel Saint Michael, the two dynastic orders of the Portuguese Royal House.

As a result of the prestige that the Royal Family has in Timor, Prince Afonso was named honorary Liurai in September 2014. The ceremony took place during a visit by the Dukes of Bragança to participate in the second session of the Senate of the Liurais Association (which represents the descendants of the tribal kings of the island).

The Prince of Beira is also the patron of the Prince of Beira Award. This scientific award for Biomedical Sciences was created to help, motivate and develop young scientists, under the age of 40 and studying biomedicine, with the winner obtaining national and international recognition and a monetary prize.

H.H. the Lady Infanta D. Maria Francisca de Bragança, Duchess of Coimbra

H.H. Infanta D. Maria Francisca de Bragança, was born in Lisbon on March 3, 1997. Third in the line of succession she received her baptism on May 31, 1997, in the Church of Our Lady of the Conception of Vila Viçosa, in Vila Viçosa. The religious ceremony was celebrated by the Archbishop of Évora, D. Maurílio Quintal de Gouveia, having been consecrated to Our Lady of the Conception. His godparents were Princess Marie Lieshtenstein, a maternal cousin of H.R.H. the Duke of Braganza, and H.H.H. Henry of Braganza, Duke of Coimbra.

On July 4, 2018, the feast day of Santa Isabel of Portugal, Infanta Maria Francisca received the title of Duchess of Coimbra from her father, the Duke of Bragança, in a ceremony held at the monastery of Santa Clara-a-Nova in Coimbra, succeeding her uncle, Infante D. Henrique. At the same time, she was invested as Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Elizabeth, by her mother, the Duchess of Braganza.

H.H. completed his secondary education at the Colégio de São João de Brito, in Lisbon, and obtained a degree in Social Communication and Culture at the Portuguese Catholic University in May 2020. Subsequently, he worked in communication consulting companies.

She is patron of the “Infanta Dona Maria Francisca Award” which is intended to reward the best works presented annually at FBAUP by students of the Master in Fine Arts. The value of the prize will be fully supported by the Real Social Cultura Esporte Association.

Resulting from a partnership between the Dr. José de Figueiredo Circle – Friends of the Soares dos Reis National Museum, Real Social Culture Sports Association, Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Porto [FBAUP] and Serralves Museum, it is awarded to the students of the master’s degree in Plastic Arts of FBAUP, considering the quality of their work at the end of the course, a prize of 1,000 euros for the area of Painting and another of equal value for that of Sculpture.

On October 7, 2023, she married Duarte de Sousa Araújo Martins in the Basilica of the Convent of Mafra.

H.H. the Lord Infante D. Dinis de Bragança, Duke of Porto

H.H. the Infante D. Dinis of Santa Maria de Bragança, was born on November 25, 1999, in Lisbon, being the third son of the Dukes of Bragança. Second in the line of succession, he holds the title of Duke of Porto.

D. Dinis was baptized on February 19, 2000, in the Cathedral of Porto, by D. Armindo Lopes Coelho, Bishop of Porto, and had as godparents D. Sebastião de Herédia, his maternal uncle, and Princess Ana Cecilia of Bourbon Sicilies.

H.H. completed his secondary education at the Colégio de São João de Brito, in Lisbon, and in 2019 he began his degree in Social Sciences at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, in Belgium. Since then, she has completed an internship at the European Parliament and worked in a consultancy that develops Public Private Partnerships, having worked on several projects in Latin America and Africa. He also interned at an American NGO that works in partnership with the United Nations to achieve the sustainable development goals.

Currently, he is studying International Relations at the Portuguese Catholic University and developing a consulting company that places products from Portuguese-speaking countries in various international markets.