Pedro Carlos of Orléans-Braganza

Dom Pedro Carlos
Prince of Orléans-Braganza
Prince Pedro Carlos (on the right) receiving the Brazilian Order of Cultural Merit
Head of the Imperial House of Brazil
(disputed)
Period 27 December 2007 – present
Predecessor Prince Pedro Gastão
Heir presumptive Prince Pedro Thiago
Born (1945-10-31) 31 October 1945
Petrópolis, Brazil
Spouse
Rony Kuhn de Souza
(m. 1975; d. 1979)

Patricia Alexandra Brascombe
(m. 1981; d. 2009)
Issue Prince Pedro Thiago
Prince Filipe
Full name
Pedro de Alcântara Carlos João Lourenço Miguel Rafael Gabriel Gonzaga
House Orléans-Braganza
Father Prince Pedro Gastão of Orléans-Braganza
Mother Princess Maria de la Esperanza of Bourbon-Two Sicilies
Occupation Forest engineer
Styles of
Prince Pedro Carlos
Reference style His Imperial and Royal Highness
Spoken style Your Imperial and Royal Highness
Alternative style Sir

Pedro Carlos of Orléans-Braganza (born 31 October 1945) is one of two claimants to the defunct Brazilian throne, and head of the Petrópolis branch of the Imperial House of Brazil.

Life

Prince Pedro Carlos was born in Petrópolis, the eldest son of six children of Prince Pedro Gastão of Orléans-Braganza and his wife, Princess Maria de la Esperanza of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. He was baptised with the names Pedro de Alcântara Carlos João Lourenço Miguel Rafael Gabriel Gonzaga.[1] Paternally, Pedro Carlos is a cousin of Prince Henri, Count of Paris, Duke of France (born 1933), Orléanist pretender to the French throne, and great grandnephew of Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza (born 1945), pretender to the throne of Portugal and uncle of Prince Peter of Serbia, eldest son of Crown Prince Alexander. On the maternal side, he is also a cousin of Juan Carlos I of Spain (born 1938).

Dynastic position

Prince Pedro Carlos is considered to be a claimant to the Brazilian throne by monarchists who believe the 1908 renunciation to dynastic rights of his paternal grandfather was invalid, although a Spanish newspaper has reported that Pedro Carlos subscribes to a republican point of view.[2] Since the death of his father he is genealogically the senior representative of the House of Orleans-Braganza. The validity of his claim to headship of the Imperial dynasty and to the Brazilian throne, if restored, is disputed by those who consider his grandfather's renunciation valid and binding upon his descendants.

Career

Pedro Carlos is a forest engineer.[3]

Marriages and family

Pedro Carlos has been married and widowed twice. Each marriage has resulted in one son.

He married Rony Kuhn de Souza (20 March 1938 – 14 January 1979) on 2 September 1975, at Petrópolis. Together, they had one son:

Pedro Carlos' first wife died two days after the birth of their son.

On 16 July 1981, at Fazenda São Geraldo, Pedro Carlos married Patricia Alexandra Branscombe (22 November 1964 – 21 November 2009). The couple had one son:

  • Prince Filipe Rodrigo of Orléans-Braganza (born 31 December 1982).

His second wife died at the Palácio do Grão-Pará in Petrópolis.

Honours

National honours

  • Medal of the Order of Cultural Merit

Dynastic honours

Ancestry

References

  1. ↑ Royal Ark
  2. ↑ Bernardo Gutiérrez, "La familia real brasileña defiende los nuevos ideales", Príncipes Republicanos (09/01/2008)
  3. ↑ Marcia Vietra, "Um príncipe na polícia do Rio" Archived 10 November 2003 at the Wayback Machine., Journal do Brasil (27 de Setembro de 2001).
Pedro Carlos of Orléans-Braganza
Cadet branch of the House of Orléans
Born: 31 October 1945
Titles in pretence
Preceded by
Prince Pedro Gastão		 — TITULAR —
Emperor of Brazil
One of two pretenders to the Brazilian throne
27 December 2007 – present
Reason for succession failure:
Empire abolished in 1889		 Incumbent
Heir:
Prince Pedro Thiago
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