Rafael, Prince of Grão-Pará

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Rafael of Orléans-Braganza
Prince of Grão-Pará
Born (1986-04-26) 26 April 1986 (age 37)
Petrópolis, Brazil
Full name
Rafael Antonio Maria José Francisco Miguel Gabriel Gonzaga de Orléans e Bragança e Ligne
HouseOrléans-Braganza
FatherAntônio, Prince Imperial of Brazil
MotherChristine, Princess Imperial of Brazil
ReligionRoman Catholic
OccupationProduction engineering

Rafael of Orléans-Braganza (born 24 April 1986, Petrópolis, Brazil) is a member of the Imperial House of Brazil and Prince of Grão-Pará according to the disputed claims of the Imperial Family's Vassouras branch, being the third in the line line of succession to the Brazilian throne as heir to his father Antônio, Prince Imperial of Brazil. He was born in Petrópolis, son of a widely considered [but yet disputed] non-morganatic marriage between the then Prince Antônio of Brazil and the Belgian Princess Christine of Ligne.[1][nb 1] An entrepeneur, Prince Rafael currently lives in London where he co-owns a consulting firm. Active in promoting the legacy and restoration of the Brazilian monarchy, he participates in monarchist events and represent the Brazilian Imperial Family in Europe.

Titles, styles and honors[change | change source]

Styles of
Prince Rafael
Reference styleHis Imperial Highness and Royal Highness
Spoken styleYour Imperial Highness
Alternative styleSir

Titles and styles[change | change source]

  • 26 April 1986 – 15 July 2022: His Highness Prince Rafael of Brazil, Prince of Orleans-Braganza[2]
  • 15 July 2022 – present: His Imperial and Royal Highness The Prince of Grão-Pará[2]

Honors[change | change source]

As member of the House of Orléans-Braganza, he is recipient of the following orders:

Notes[change | change source]

  1. The Brazilian dynasty's marital standard was never bound by the royal intermarriage rules which restricted sovereign German dynasties to reigning and mediatized families following the 1815 Congress of Vienna. Nonetheless it is true that the Princes de Ligne had sold the immediate principality of Edelstetten in 1804, therefore they were not officially included among the Holy Roman Empire's princely families that retained immediate status until its abolition in 1806, which later became the cut-off date for the prerogatives retained by mediatized dynasties.

References[change | change source]