Prince Bertrand of Orléans-Braganza
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Prince Bertrand of Orléans-Braganza (born February 2, 1941 in Mandelieu, France), whose baptismal name is Bertrand Maria José Pio Januário Miguel Gabriel Raphael Gonzaga de Orléans e Bragança , is a member of the Imperial House of Brazil and the current Prince Imperial (first in line to succeed), according to monarchist claims.
The third son of Prince Pedro Henrique of Orléans-Braganza and Princess Maria Elisabeth of Bavaria, his elder brothers are, in order, Prince Luiz of Orléans-Braganza who is the present Head of the Brazilian Imperial Family and Prince Eudes of Orléans-Braganza, who renounced his dynastic rights to the Brazilian Throne in order to marry a commoner (that is, someone without royal or noble titles).
According to Brazilian monarchists, his full title is "His Imperial and Royal Highness, The Prince Imperial of Brazil, Dom Bertrand of Orléans-Braganza (in Portuguese: "Sua Alteza Imperial e Real, Princípe Imperial do Brasil, Dom Bertrand de Orléans e Bragança").
As with his two elder brothers, Prince Bertrand was born in France, even though the exile imposed to the Imperial Family had already been revoked, due to the Second World War. He came to Brazil only after the end of the conflict.
In Brazil, the Imperial Family settled in the state of Rio de Janeiro and later in Paraná, where Prince Bertrand spent his childhood. When he was 18 years old, he went to São Paulo, where he achieved a bachelor's degree in Law from the Saint Francis Square (in Portuguese: Largo de São Francisco), the law school of the University of São Paulo, in 1964. He still lives in São Paulo.
Being a Traditionalist Catholic and a member of Tradition, Family and Property, Prince Bertrand is not married and has no issue, so his dynastic heir is his younger brother, Prince Antonio of Orléans-Braganza, who is married to a Belgian princess, Princess Cristina of Ligne, with issue.
Both he and his elder brother, Prince Luiz, are engaged in the monarchist proselytism in Brazil. They both played main roles during the campaigning for the 1993 plebiscite, which represented the hitherto only real opportunity for a return of the monarchy since the Proclamation of the Republic, in 1889. In it, the people were asked to choose which form of government (presidential or parliamentary) and which form of State organization (Republic or Constitutional monarchy) Brazil should have. The monarchist cause was not successful, although it received an unexpected number of votes (over 20%).
Prince Bertrand is also related to the Royal House of Portugal and the Royal House of France (Orleanist claimants), both by his father lineage, and to the Royal House of Wittelsbach, by his mother lineage.
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Prince Bertrand of Orléans-Braganza
Cadet branch of the House of Orléans
Born: February 2 1941 |
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| Brazilian royalty | ||
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| Preceded by Prince Luís current pretender |
Line of succession to the Brazilian throne 1st position |
Succeeded by Prince Antonio |
| French royalty | ||
| Preceded by Guy d'Orléans-Bragança |
Orléanist line of succession to the French throne 30th position |
Succeeded by Prince Pedro de Alcântara Henrique of Orléans-Braganza |
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