Pedro Carlos of Orléans-Braganza

Pedro de Alcântara Carlos João Lourenço Miguel Rafael Gabriel Gonzaga de Orléans e Bragança, known as Pedro Carlos of Orléans-Braganza (born 31 October 1945) is a forest engineer, one of two claimants to the defunct Brazilian throne, and head of the Petrópolis branch of the Imperial House of Brazil.

Pedro de Alcântara Carlos João Lourenço Miguel Rafael Gabriel Gonzaga de Orléans e Bragança
Pedro Carlos (on the right) receiving the Brazilian Order of Cultural Merit
Born (1945-10-31) 31 October 1945
Petrópolis, Brazil
OccupationForest engineer
PredecessorPrince Pedro Gastão
SuccessorPrince Pedro Thiago
Spouse(s)
Rony Kuhn de Souza
​
​
(m. 1975; died 1979)​

Patricia Alexandra Branscombe
​
​
(m. 1981; died 2009)​
Parents
FamilyPedro Thiago
Filipe

Life

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. Paternally, Pedro Carlos is a first cousin once removed of Prince Jean, Count of Paris (born 1965), Orléanist pretender to the French throne, and first cousin 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 first cousin of Juan Carlos I of Spain (born 1938).

Dynastic position

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.[1] Since the death of his father he is genealogically the senior representative of the House of Orleans-Braganza.

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:

  • Prince Pedro Thiago of Orléans-Braganza (born 12 January 1979 at Petrópolis) – On 26 May 1992, Pedro Thiago was kidnapped while on his way to school and held for a ransom reported at $5 million.[2] He was freed on 2 June after police raided a house in a Rio de Janeiro suburb.[3] In January 2002, he was indicted on charges relating to the theft and then sale of a set of porcelain dishes from the Palace of the Grão-Pará belonging to his aunt Princess Cristina.[4]

Pedro Carlos's 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:

  • 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

Three of his great-grandparents (#8, #14, #15) were grandchildren of King Louis Philippe of France, while other three (#9, #12, #13) were grandchildren of King Francesco I of the Two Sicilies.

References
  1. Bernardo Gutiérrez, "La familia real brasileña defiende los nuevos ideales", Príncipes Republicanos (09/01/2008)
  2. Soca, Ricardo (29 May 1992). "La policía brasileña prepara una "operación de guerra" para rescatar al príncipe Pedro". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 December 2007.
  3. "Police raid hideout near Rio and liberate a teen Prince". Deseret News. 2 June 1992.
  4. Rother, Larry (6 January 2002). "Brazil's Royal Scandal: Prince Is Said to Steal Aunt's Dishes". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 December 2007.
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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