Royal Family of Portugal 2: March 2006-December 2007

[maidmarion]

Thanks for the latest info tdarlene. Is there anyway to send a link or scan this article. I am not familiar with this magazine and tried to "google" the article and the magazine but to no avail. Thanks so much.
MM

 

[Elsa M.]

Is there anyway to send a link or scan this article. I am not familiar with this magazine and tried to "google" the article and the magazine but to no avail.

This is an economy magazine (with a very select kind of readers).
The whole text of this great interview given by D. Duarte de Bragança to the journalist Alexandra de Almeida Ferreira was reproduced in the following message board, by Maria_da_Fonte:

http://monarquia-portugal.forumactif.com/ftopic1038.Entrevista-de-SAR-a-Revista-Just-Leader.htm

 

[Elsa M.]

Hello, Dang Ayah!
The person you're referring to is not Princess of Beira. She belongs to a colateral branch Saxe Coburgo Gotha e Bragança of the Portuguese royal family, descending from D.ª Maria Pia, which is claiming the succession to the Portuguese Throne, but which is not recognized among the absolute majority of the monarchic community.

You have here the official site of these claimants, among which is Soraya Lucia Sayda Tecla:

http://www.realcasaportuguesa.org/portugues/royalfamily.html

There's news about this, in this article published by Correio da Manhã, last September 7th:
http://www.correiodamanha.pt/noticia.asp?id=213893&idselect=90&idCanal=90&p=200

The Government of the Republic decided to interven in the old subject of who is the legitimate heir to the throne of Portugal, reinforcing its recognition to D. Duarte Pio, Duke of Bragança. Moreover, it decided to act against Rosario Poidimani, who also claims to be the head of the Portuguese Royal House.

On letter of July 2006 addressed to Rosário Poidimani’s lawyer, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Department of Legal Subjects bases the recognition of D. Duarte Pio as legitimate heir of the Portuguese Royal House upon the "historical and traditional recognition of the Portuguese People", the "common rules of the dynastic succession" and the "tacit recognition of the remaining royal houses from Europe and around the World, with which the legitimate House of Bragança shares blood relations".

Furthermore, it adds that, based upon this recognition, the Portuguese State confers D. Duarte politic, historical and diplomatic representation, as the Dukes of Bragança "are often sent to represent the Portuguese People in cultural, humanitarian or religious events abroad, moments when they get a diplomatic passport". The document denies that the State is paying D. Duarte any charge, but nothing is mentioned about the budget that finances those services, on behalf of Portugal.

This recognition of the Portuguese State raised some dissatisfaction among the supporters of the Duke of Loulé, Pedro Folque de Mendoça.

Regarding Rosário Poidimani and his aspiration to represent the Portuguese Royal House, the Government decided to act against him, in order to preserve the Portuguese interests abroad. Rosário Poidimani is apparently giving decorations of the Portuguese honorific orders, without being authorized for such, thus injuring the interests of the Portuguese State.



D. PEDRO PROTESTS

The question about the heir and head of the Royal House is a controversial issue. The supporters of the Duke of Loulé, Pedro Folque de Mendoça, applauded the fact that the Government had recognized "the politic, historical and diplomatic representation that is officially recognized to the Royal House of Portugal and its representatives". However, they protest against the fact that the Government had broken its neutrality on this matter.

Luis Bivar, one of the supporters of Pedro Folque de Mendoça, says that "the Dukes of Loulé are the descendants of Princess D.ª Ana de Jesus Maria, daughter of King D. João VI and Queen D.ª Carlota Joaquina, being the current heir, for that reason, D. Pedro, VI Duke of Loulé".

 

[maidmarion]

Thank You Elsa M. for the link to the magazine article. It made for some great reading. I got to practice my Portuguese.
Cheers,
MM

 

[Avalon]

Thank you for the article, Elsa!
I haven't heard of any Government 'stepping in' into the question, who's rightful heir/pretender to the throne, that's indeed very interesting!

 

[Elsa M.]

It is indeed an odd situation, but the only reason why the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had stepped into the question is that this Rosário person (who nobody in Portugal has ever heard about...) was disrespecting the name of Portugal, abusing its orders and symbols, given discredit to the Portuguese diplomacy and institutions. Actually, the government didn't do anything but to reiterate the obvious and to put this Italian man in his place. D. Duarte is universally recognized as the heir, by the Vatican, by the Monarchies from around the world, by he Portuguese State and by all the other countries, especially the PALOP (Portuguese Speaking Countries).

But I agree this in quite unusual...

 

[Elsa M.]

http://www.dnoticias.pt/Default.aspx?file_id=dn01010101110906&id_user=


D. Duarte and D.ª Isabel flew to the island of Porto Santo (in the archipelago of Madeira), to attend the traditional celebrations of the Colombo Festival. This event, dedicated to honour Christopher Columbus, consists of a series of spectacles, as well as exhibitions and allusive parades to the environment lived during the time of the Portuguese Discoveries.


http://www.jornaldamadeira.pt/not2005.php?Seccao=13&id=48658&sup=0&sdata=

According to official information, the Dukes of Bragança arrived in Porto Santo yesterday at 10:10 AM, they visited the Casa Colombo - Museu do Porto Santo, at 6:00 PM, and the Historical Downtown, at 7:00 PM. Finally, at 8:30 PM, they participated in a Medieval Dinner that took place at the Cultural Centre of Porto Santo.

 

[Juanita]

D. Duarte and D.ª Isabel flew to the island of Porto Santo (in the archipelago of Madeira), to attend the traditional celebrations of the Colombo Festival. This event, dedicated to honour Christopher Columbus, consists of a series of spectacles, as well as exhibitions and allusive parades to the environment lived during the time of the Portuguese Discoveries.

According to official infrmation, the Dukes of Bragança arrived in Porto Santo yesterday at 10:10 AM, they visited the Casa Colombo - Museu do Porto Santo, at 6:00 PM, and the Historical Downtown, at 7:00 PM. Finally, at 8:30 PM, they participated in a Medieval Dinner that took place at the Cultural Centre of Porto Santo.

I saw some publicity there!
The people in Porto Santo must be very happy for being with the Dukes. And it's a very good publicity for that beautiful island!
Thank you for the information, Elsa!

 

[Elsa M.]

http://www.jornaldamadeira.pt/not2005.php?Seccao=13&id=48986&sup=0&sdata=

On the last day of the festival, the heir to the Throne attended a reception at 10:30, at the cultural centre of Porto Santo and, at night, the Dukes of Bragança were the protagonists of the closing events of this Colombo Festival.

 

[Elsa M.]

http://www.oprimeirodejaneiro.pt/?op=artigo&sec=eccbc87e4b5ce2fe28308fd9f2a7baf3&subsec=&id=e81e0ae909722362519b45f83a3a8a42

Last Saturday (September 23rd), D. Duarte presided in Oporto over the prize-giving ceremony of the D. Henrique Award (of which he is one of the founders) that was given to the Colégio Inglês do Porto (the British School of Oporto).

The D. Henrique Award was created in 1987, and it is the Portuguese version of the "Duke of Edinburgh Award", which completes this year 50 years old. This association stimulates the education of young people, through communitary service, contact with the Nature and the personal perfectioning.




Next October 5th (the day we celebrate the Implementation of the Republic of 1910), D. Duarte de Bragança will preside over the the Royal Canoe Regatta (Real Regata das Canoas). The prize-giving ceremony is going to take place in Belém (Lisbon), at 4:00 PM.

 

[Benjamin]

Is there any news about D. Duarte's brothers, Miguel and Henrique?

 

[Elsa M.]

Is there any news about D. Duarte's brothers, Miguel and Henrique?

D. Miguel is a very down-to-earth man. Sometimes he takes part in ceremonies, as a representative of the Royal House, but the truth is that there's not coverage about him in the press (it's cruel, but no one cares about him). The same goes for D. Henrique... although he tends to appear in parties and yellow magazines...
Last time I heard about him, he was talking about marriage. Quite frankly, no one takes him seriously...

 

[Elsa M.]

The town of Beja will host, next September 22-24th, the 13th Congress of the Royal Cause. More than 200 monarchists, among congressmen and observers, are waited during the three days.

http://da.campodosmedia.com/jornal/?link=noticia&id=3440

Monarchists from along the Country had all reaffirmed, during the 13th Congress of the Royal Cause, "the intransigent defense of the dinastic rights of D. Duarte de Bragança to the throne of Portugal".

According to José Gaspar (president of the association), "this congress was essentially statutory". The event "was a starting point for the Royal Cause" and allowed the achievement of "wide consensuses", as far as politics are concerned.

 

[tdarlene]

Does anybody knows who are the infantes godparents'?

 

[Warren]

Does anybody knows who are the infantes godparents'?

Those who are known are listed at post #7.

 

[Benjamin]

D. Miguel is a very down-to-earth man. Sometimes he takes part in ceremonies, as a representative of the Royal House, but the truth is that there's not coverage about him in the press (it's cruel, but no one cares about him). The same goes for D. Henrique... although he tends to appear in parties and yellow magazines...
Last time I heard about him, he was talking about marriage. Quite frankly, no one takes him seriously...

Thank you for that information, Elsa. I think I saw the post on the FIRMB about that marriage-to-be.

Is it known how old his fiancee is?

 

[Warren]

Thank you for that information, Elsa. I think I saw the post on the FIRMB about that marriage-to-be.
Is it known how old his fiancee is?

The supposed engagement of the Infante Henrique was discussed at length in Monarchy of Portugal Part 1, and can be found here, starting at page 7, post #124.

 

[Elsa M.]

http://www.reconquista.pt/arquivo/arquivo.dll/home?idartigo=19227&idseccao=-1&projectoNo=151&edicNo=258&accao=artigo&data=13-10-2006&numero=3161

D. Duarte Pio, the Duke of Bragança attended the presentation of the new oil Ribeiro Sanches, one of fewest oils in the world to have the kosher certification and the first oil of the kind to be produced in Portugal, in last 500 years.

As requested by the Jewish tradition, the production process of this oil was co-ordinated by rabbi Elisha Rooms, the responsible for the Jewish community of Oporto.

 

[Elsa M.]

In a small article published last Sunday by 24 Horas, it is stated that D. Duarte wants Infante D. Afonso to receive a most "normal" education, without any special treatment.

In the school D. Afonso attends, he asked not be registered with the title of "Dom" and both teachers and students are instructed not to address him that deference, so that the child is treated like any other colleage. D. Duarte confesses: «it is enough that the other children refer to my children as the King's children» and compares them to the children of football players: «when the other boys realize who their parents are, they will deal with them in a different way».

Besides, D. Afonso's school programs do not differ from the his companions' and it is D.ª Isabel herself who attends the parents' meetings, while it is D. Duarte who helps them with the homeworks.

________

This articles seems to appear in the sequence of a kind of nasty episode experienced by the Infante, a couple of weeks ago. It seems D. Afonso's mates, about a month ago, made a circle around him and started making reverences to the poor boy, who felt ashamed, in front of the whole school.

 

[Elsa M.]

A new book by Prof. Mendo Castro Henriques is coming to the stores. It's entitled Dom Duarte e a Democracia (Dom Duarte and Democracy) and it says of the Duke of Bragança's political thought. The press release is going to take place in Lisboa, next November 22nd, and Porto, on November 23rd.

 

[tdarlene]

Does anybody knows how many godchildren the dukes have.
I know that D.Duarte is D.Diana, Duchess of Cadaval godfather's, and D.Isabel is the godmother of one of her nieces, but apart of these do you know if theyhave more godchildren

 

[tdarlene]

There's a montly magazine that I don't remember right now the name that has a really great interview with D.Isabel, but the magazine's cover is Hugo Chavez, and in her interview there's famuly pictures. I didn't buy the magazine, it is 3,5€, but I will try to buy and post it.

 

[Elsa M.]

A new book by Prof. Mendo Castro Henriques is coming to the stores. It's entitled Dom Duarte e a Democracia (Dom Duarte and Democracy) and it says of the Duke of Bragança's political thought. The press release is going to take place in Lisboa, next November 22nd, and Porto, on November 23rd.

24 Horas has published a few stories taken from this book:
http://www.24horasnewspaper.com/mostranews.php?id=3126

Dom Duarte has already been submited to hypnosis, to surpass infancy traumas related to the "car accident involving his parents". Meanwhile, 15 years have passed since that experience. The Duke of Bragança, who is deeply catholic, assumes himself as a man given to spirituality and he believes that reviving past experiences is important to surpass infancy traumas.

In this biography of Dom Duarte, we can read that the heir to the throne of Portugal had never had problems with the routine of the Military School, in Lisbon. When all the pupils had joined together against the vigorous punishment applied to a student, who was caught cheating during the exams, Dom Duarte was the first one to step onward of the battlefield and, during the time the strike lasted, he did not even touched the food served in the refectory of the military school, even knowing that such attitude could banish him from the school.

During his military service, Dom Duarte always made the same requirement: that nobody woul address him as Your Majesty.

He promissed to the Portuguese people that he would marry before 50 and did not disapoint the expectations. Two months before completing half century of age, he took Isabel de Herédia to the altar of the Monastery of Jerónimos. The royal wedding was a mediatic happening in the life of the Country and nobody resisted to the curiosity of joining the celebration. As Isabel de Herédia would confess, she fell in love with "his goodness, his tolerance and sense of humour".

During a trip to Amazonia, Dom Duarte and a cousin of his were arguing about the hourly spindle in that Brazilian state and the Duke of Bragança was so convinced of his truth that he bet his moustache in it! It didn't take too long before he had to shave, as soon as they arrived in Rio de Janeiro...

Dom Duarte is movie lover. The Duke of Bragança is passionate for cinema and he chooses "Braveheart" and "Passion of the Christ" as his favourite films. He is a deep expert on the history of cinema and he confesses himself as fan of Emir Kusturica. Besides, the Duke of Bragança is also a fan of BD, especially of the "Adventures of Tintin".

 

[Elsa M.]

Today is Dona Isabel's 40th birthday.
The Duchess of Bragança was born on November 22nd, 1966.

 

[Elsa M.]

http://sol.sapo.pt/PaginaInicial/Politica/Interior.aspx?content_id=10566

Manuel Alegre presented today in Lisbon the book «Dom Duarte e a Democracia: uma biografia portuguesa», by Mendo Castro Henriques.

"With pleasure" and "free of complexes", the independent candidate to the last presidential elections was in Chiado, alleging "common national values" with Dom Duarte; the values of those "who do not need surveys to know that they want to remain Portuguese".

At the cerimony (which was attended by Dom Duarte and Isabel de Herédia), the socialist deputy said that we're living a moment "when patriots who affirm the permanent values of Portugal are necessary". In return, Dom Duarte said that "the patriotic values are not a monopoly of the Monarchy, nor of the Republic; of the Left, nor of the Right".

The heir to the throne declared that we must question "the future we want for the country; if we really want to be a mere region amongst any Iberian or European federacy" and emphasized the value of national independence.

On the other hand, when presenting the book, Manuel Alegre showed "surprise", regarding some episodes of the life of Dom Duarte Pio, namely the fact that the heir to the throne was in Saigon, days before the April 25th 1974, from where he had sent a document, in support to the Movement of the Armed Forces and to the Junta de Salvação Nacional.

At the end of the presentation, Dom Duarte ran away from the autographs and dedications, to privately celebrate the 40th birthday of Dona Isabel de Herédia.




http://www.rtp.pt/index.php?article=260537&visual=16

Manuel Alegre considered D. Duarte a patriot with whom he shares common causes. The socialist deputy said that "there's prejudice" in Portugal regarding D. Duarte Pio and the royal family: "I am republican, but we have common causes, such as Timor. He deserves consideration and respect for his civic intervention. He approaches themes that are dear to me. It is pedagogical having a republican to present his biography".

Alegre chareacterized D. Duarte as "a citizen with a sober, amiable and kind behavior, who has spirit of service and mission", concluding that "he is a patriot", "he does not present himself as a pretender, rather as pretended by the People".

Among the "common causes", the former presidential candidate pointed "the concerns with territorial planning, environment, alternative energies, social justice, national sovereignty, the Portuguese language, the Lusofony". "It is a very surprising book. I read it with pleasure and I myself was very surprised by it", he concluded.



--*--*--*--

As a side note, I'd point out that this book (which is published by Bertrand) includes testimonies of several personalities, such as Prince Edward of England.


Photo from Diário de Notícias:
http://dn.sapo.pt/2006/11/23/533728.jpg

 

[HRH Mims]

Portugal royals, photos from seegerpress:
Duchess Isabel of Braganza (40 birthday):
http://www.seegerpress-online.de/topixx/data/pre-SEEGER00171384.jpg
http://www.seegerpress-online.de/topixx/data/pre-SEEGER00171385.jpg
http://www.seegerpress-online.de/topixx/data/pre-SEEGER00171385.jpg
http://www.seegerpress-online.de/topixx/data/pre-SEEGER00171388.jpg
http://www.seegerpress-online.de/topixx/data/pre-SEEGER00171389.jpg
http://www.seegerpress-online.de/topixx/data/pre-SEEGER00171390.jpg
http://www.seegerpress-online.de/topixx/data/pre-SEEGER00171391.jpg
http://www.seegerpress-online.de/topixx/data/pre-SEEGER00171392.jpg
http://www.seegerpress-online.de/topixx/data/pre-SEEGER00171393.jpg
http://www.seegerpress-online.de/topixx/data/pre-SEEGER00171394.jpg
http://www.seegerpress-online.de/topixx/data/pre-SEEGER00171395.jpg
http://www.seegerpress-online.de/topixx/data/pre-SEEGER00171396.jpg
http://www.seegerpress-online.de/topixx/data/pre-SEEGER00171397.jpg
http://www.seegerpress-online.de/topixx/data/pre-SEEGER00171398.jpg
http://www.seegerpress-online.de/topixx/data/pre-SEEGER00171399.jpg
http://www.seegerpress-online.de/topixx/data/pre-SEEGER00171400.jpg
http://www.seegerpress-online.de/topixx/data/pre-SEEGER00171401.jpg

Lovely lady
Please notice me, if links don't work.

 

[maidmarion]

Thank You very much for the terrific info and fabulous photos. This family is truly very humble to say the least. Thanks Elsa M. and mims111 for this most recent post. Fantastic. Does anyone know where these photos where taken by chance?

Regards,
MM

 

[Elsa M.]

I suppose they were taken in a photographer's studio. The photos from her childhood must have been taken in Angola and Brazil (where she lived until 1990).



This week's edition of Visão, has a great interview with D. Duarte, along with a fine gallery of photos I've not seen before. Here's the introduction, by Filipe Luís:


«A pack of Sampoerna cigarettes, made in Indonesia, placed over the table, denounces a recent trip to Timor. Here, the styled chairs and the pictures that observe us: former kings, the Condestável Nun'Álvares, parents and ancestors of the owner of this villa. Outside, there’s the English, imponent garden... It seems as we were in a book of The Five and if the Tim dog was here, it would certainly not stop snarling.

Underneath an enormous oil picture of D. Miguel I, there are two child bicycles and a ball, which indicate that, in spite of the silence, there’s life in this "haunted castle".

Actually, someone is coming through that door. And there he is: with his D. Quijote’s moustache, his Prince of Wales’ suit (as old-fashioned as everything else), D. Duarte, 61 years old, sits down and smiles. A beautiful smile. Underneath that dishevelled hair, there’s a naive person here, a naughty boy there, an ironic man over there, which humanizes himself, as he moves, talks, thinks and seduces.

And surprise: we leave this appointment much more monarchic than when we entered».



See the whole interview, as well as the photo gallery here:

http://visaoonline.clix.pt/default.asp?CpContentId=332134
(To see the photos, click on "Seguinte")

 

[tdarlene]

Happy Birthday D.Isabel!!!

 

[Elsa M.]

Today is the 7th birthday of Infante Dom Dinis, the youngest son of the Dukes of Bragança.
The Duke of Porto was born on November 25th 1999.