Princess Christine of Orléans-Braganza

note:
As of August 2020.

See also:


Princess Christine of Orléans-Braganza
Born (1955-08-11) 11 August 1955 (age 64)
Château de Belœil
Spouse Prince Antonio of Orléans-Braganza
Issue Prince Pedro Luiz
Princess Amélia
Prince Rafael
Princess Maria Gabriela
Full name
Christine Marie Elisabeth
House House of Ligne (by birth)
House of Orleans-Braganza (by marriage)
Father Antoine, 13th Prince de Ligne
Mother Princess Alix of Luxembourg

Princess Christine of Orléans-Braganza (née Princess Christine de Ligne; born 11 August 1955 at Château de Belœil), is the daughter of Antoine, 13th Prince de Ligne and Princess Alix of Luxembourg. She is the granddaughter of Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, and Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma.

Her father was head of one of Belgium’s foremost noble families, mediatized in 1803. Her mother, Princess Alix (1929–2019), was the sister of former Grand Duke Jean. Through her mother, Princess Christine is a descendant in the fifth generation of King John VI of Portugal and is a great-grand niece of Brazil’s first emperor, Pedro I of Brazil.

Biography

Marriage and children

In 1981, she married Prince Antonio of Orléans-Braganza (born 24 June 1950 in Rio de Janeiro), son of Prince Pedro Henrique of Orléans-Braganza and Princess Maria Elisabeth of Bavaria. The civil ceremony took place on September 25 and the religious ceremony on September 26, both at Belœil.[1]

They had four children:

  • Prince Pedro Luiz Maria José Miguel Gabriel Rafael Gonzaga of Orléans-Braganza (12 January 1983 in Rio de Janeiro – 1 June 2009), he was a passenger on the Air France Flight 447, which crashed into the ocean while traveling from Rio de Janeiro to Paris.
  • Princess Amélia Maria de Fátima Josefa Antônia Miguela Gabriela Rafaela Gonzaga of Orléans-Braganza (born 15 March 1984 in Brussels), married on 14 July 2014 in Rio de Janeiro, Alexander James Spearman (born 27 March 1984 in Perth), son of Lochain Alexander Spearman and Pilar Garrigues y Carnicer. They have two sons:
    • Alexander Joaquim Pedro Spearman (born 30 August 2016 in Madrid)
    • Nicholas Rafael William Spearman (born 20 February 2018 in Madrid)
  • Prince Rafael Antonio Maria José Francisco Miguel Gabriel Gonzaga of Orléans-Braganza (born 24 April 1986 in Rio de Janeiro)
  • Princess Maria Gabriela Josefa Fernanda Iolanda Miguela Rafaela Gonzaga of Orléans-Bragança (born 8 June 1989 in Rio de Janeiro)