'' Dom'' Afonso de Braganza, Prince of Beira (born 25 March 1996), is the eldest son of Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza and Isabel de Herédia. Being the heir of the

House of Braganza The Most Serene House of Braganza (), also known as the Brigantine dynasty (''dinastia Brigantina''), is a dynasty of emperors, kings, princes, and dukes of Portuguese people, Portuguese origin which reigned in Europe and the Americas. The hous ...

, he bears the

courtesy title A courtesy title is a title that does not have legal significance but is rather used by custom or courtesy, particularly, in the context of nobility, the titles used by children of members of the nobility (cf. substantive title). In some context ...

Prince of Beira Prince of Beira (, feminine: ''Princesa da Beira'') is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the King of Portugal, throne of Portugal. The title's original use that it be granted on the eldest daughter of the reigning monarch of P ...

. Afonso is a claimant to the succession of the defunct throne of Portugal, as second in line in the Miguelist branch of the

, after his father Duarte Pio.

Biography

''Afonso de Santa Maria Miguel Gabriel Rafael de Bragança'' was born in

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

, the eldest child of Duarte Pio de Bragança, and Dª. Isabel Inês de Castro Curvello de Herédia. His baptismal name ends with ''Miguel Gabriel Rafael'', a family tradition of the

that honors the three archangels in the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. On 1 June 1996, in the Cathedral of Braga, Afonso was baptised by Eurico Dias Nogueira, Archbishop of Braga, Primate of all the Spains. His godparents are Infanta Elena, Duchess of Lugo and his maternal uncle, Afonso Miguel de Herédia. Immediately after his baptism at the Sé Cathedral of Braga, the young prince was consecrated in nearby Guimarães to ''Nossa Senhora da Oliveira'', (Our Lady of the Olive Tree), where his ancestor King John I (founder of the

House of Aviz The House of Aviz (Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''Casa de Avis'' ), also known as the Joanine Dynasty (''Dinastia Joanina''), was a dynasty of Portuguese people, Portuguese origin which flourished during the Portuguese Renaissance, Renaissanc ...

), along with his illegitimate son Afonso, Duke of Braganza (founder of the

), had been to thank her for his victory at the battle of Aljubarrota, in 1385, against his niece Queen

Beatrice of Portugal Beatrice (, ; 7–13 February 1373 – ) was the only surviving legitimate child of King Ferdinand I of Portugal and his wife, Leonor Teles. She became Queen consort of Castile by marriage to King John I of Castile. Following her father's d ...

and her husband

John I of Castile John I (; 24 August 1358 – 9 October 1390) was King of Castile and List of Leonese monarchs, León from 1379 until 1390. He was the son of Henry II of Castile, Henry II and of his wife Juana Manuel of Castile. John ascended to the throne in 137 ...

. Afonso was educated at St. Julian's School on the

Portuguese Riviera The Portuguese Riviera (Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''Riviera Portuguesa'') is a term used for the affluent coastal region to the west of Lisbon, Portugal, centered on the coastal municipalities of Cascais (including Estoril), Oeiras, Portug ...

, Colégio Planalto in Lisbon, and The Oratory School, a Catholic Public School in the United Kingdom. He earned a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree in

Political Science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

and

International Relations International relations (IR, and also referred to as international studies, international politics, or international affairs) is an academic discipline. In a broader sense, the study of IR, in addition to multilateral relations, concerns al ...

from the Catholic University of Portugal at the Institute for Political Studies in

. Afonso did professional internships at the Luso-American Chamber of Commerce, EDP and

Accenture Accenture plc is a global multinational professional services company originating in the United States and headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, that specializes in information technology (IT) services and management consulting. It was founded in 1 ...

, and worked at an asset management company called Pury Pictet Turrenttini in Geneva. In 2023 he was studying for a master's degree in Law and Economics of the Sea, by Nova University of Lisbon.

Succession

Afonso will be the next to succeed his father, Duarte Pio, as head of the

. In 2015, in keeping with Portuguese tradition, he was consecrated as

heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...

on his 18th birthday. The ceremony took place at the Sanctuary of Nossa Senhora da Lapa, in Sernancelhe.

Public role

In recognition of his family's connections to East-Timor, particularly his

father A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. A biological fat ...

's role in supporting that country, Afonso was made an honorary Liurai in September 2014, when he and his family visited the country to attend the second Senate session of the Liurais Association, which represents the descendants of the island's tribal kings. As a public figure, Afonso has interacted with European royalty and other public figures throughout his life. In 2017, he, his brother Dinis, and their parents accompanied their sister Maria Francisca to the Bal des débutantes in Paris. In August 2018, Afonso joined as an intern in the Social and Pre-Hospitalar Emergency Department, the Voluntary Fire Brigade of Lisbon, following in the foot steps of Afonso, Duke of Porto, who was Honorary Commander of the same brigade. The decision to join the fire brigade came after discussing Portugal's summer fires with his family and friends. Afonso regularly volunteers in activities in the interior of

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

aimed at the environment. In 2019, he participated in a reforestation action in Cova da Beira. He visited the Azores archipelago with his parents, Duarte Pio and Isabel de Herédia, in 2021. This visit included the islands of Faial, Pico, Terceira and São Miguel. In the city of Horta, on the island of Faial, they met with the President of the Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of the Azores, representatives of the Parliamentary Groups and the President of the Regional Government of the Autonomous Region of the Azores.

Awards with his name

Afonso has sponsored awards recognizing accomplishments in several areas. The Prince of Beira Trophy is an equestrian award that was established in 2008. The winner in 2010 was Portuguese Olympic dressage rider Daniel Pinto, and Afonso presented him the award. The Prince of Beira Award in

Biomedical Sciences Biomedical sciences are a set of sciences applying portions of natural science or formal science, or both, to develop knowledge, interventions, or technology that are of use in healthcare or public health. Such disciplines as medical microbio ...

is an award that distinguishes researchers of excellence in the field of biomedical sciences; it is a partnership of the Universidade do Minho and the Municipality of Guimarães.

Claimed titles

As well as being a claimant to the title of Infante of Portugal, Afonso de Bragança is a claimant to the title of

, as he is the first-born son of Duarte Pio, the

and first in line to the throne of Portugal. He is also a pretender to the titles of Duke of Barcelos and Duke of Guimarães.

Honours

;Foreign * SMOM-gcs

Knight Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion (

Sovereign Military Order of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, and commonly known as the Order of Malta or the Knights of Malta, is a Catholic lay religious ...

) *

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre (

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

) ;Dynastic * PRT Ordem de Nossa Senhora da Conceicao de Vila Vicosa Cavaleiro ribbon

Grand-Cross of the Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa ( Royal House of Portugal) * Grand Cross of the Imperial Order of the Rose ( Brazilian House of Orléans-Braganza) * Sacro Militare Ordine Costantiniano di San Giorgio

Sacro Militare Ordine Costantiniano di San Giorgio

Knight Grand Cross of Justice of the Castroan-Two Sicilian Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George ( Castroan Royal Family of Two Sicilies)Constantinian
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Ancestry

References

External links

Official website of the Portuguese Royal Family
{{authority control 1996 births Living people House of Braganza Portuguese infantes Princes of Beira Dukes of Barcelos Portuguese Roman Catholics Nobility from Lisbon People educated at The Oratory School Knights of Malta Members of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre Portuguese monarchists