| Afonso de Braganza | |
|---|---|
| Prince of Beira andDuke of Barcelos | |
 Afonso in 2025 | |
| Born | Afonso de Santa Maria Miguel Gabriel Rafael (1996-03-25)25 March 1996 (age 29) Lisbon,Portugal |
| House | Braganza |
| Father | Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza |
| Mother | Isabel de Herédia |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
DomAfonso de Braganza, Prince of Beira (born 25 March 1996), is the eldest son ofDuarte Pio, Duke of Braganza andIsabel, Duchess of Braganza. Being the heir of theHouse of Braganza, he bears thecourtesy title ofPrince of Beira.
Afonso is a claimant to the succession of the defunctthrone of Portugal, as second in line in theMiguelist branch of theHouse of Braganza, after his fatherDuarte Pio.
Afonso de Santa Maria Miguel Gabriel Rafael de Bragança was born inLisbon, the eldest child ofDuarte Pio de Bragança, andDª. Isabel Inês de Castro Curvello de Herédia.[1] His baptismal name ends withMiguel Gabriel Rafael, a family tradition of theHouse of Braganza that honors thethree archangels in theCatholic Church.
On 1 June 1996, in theCathedral of Braga, Afonso was baptised byEurico Dias Nogueira,Archbishop of Braga, Primate of all the Spains.
His godparents areInfanta Elena, Duchess of Lugo and his maternal uncle, Afonso Miguel de Herédia.[2]
Immediately after his baptism at theSé Cathedral of Braga, the young prince was consecrated in nearbyGuimarães toNossa Senhora da Oliveira, (Our Lady of the Olive Tree), where his ancestor KingJohn I (founder of theHouse of Aviz), along with his illegitimate sonAfonso, Duke of Braganza (founder of theHouse of Braganza), had been to thank her for his victory at the battle ofAljubarrota, in 1385, against his niece QueenBeatrice of Portugal and her husbandJohn I of Castile.
Afonso was educated atSt. Julian's School on thePortuguese Riviera,Colégio Planalto in Lisbon, andThe Oratory School, a Catholic Public School in the United Kingdom.
He earned aBachelor of Arts degree inPolitical Science andInternational Relations from theCatholic University of Portugal at theInstitute for Political Studies inLisbon.
Afonso did professional internships at the Luso-American Chamber of Commerce,EDP andAccenture, and worked at an asset management company called Pury Pictet Turrenttini in Geneva.[3] In 2023 he was studying for a master's degree in Law and Economics of the Sea, byNova University of Lisbon.[4]
Afonso will be the next to succeed his father,Duarte Pio, as head of theHouse of Braganza.
In 2015, in keeping with Portuguese tradition, he was consecrated asheir apparent on his 18th birthday. The ceremony took place at the Sanctuary of Nossa Senhora da Lapa, inSernancelhe.[5][6]
In recognition of his family'sconnections toEast-Timor, particularly hisfather's role in supporting that country, Afonso was made an honoraryLiurai in September 2014,[7] 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'stribal kings.
As a public figure, Afonso has interacted withEuropean royalty and other public figures throughout his life. In 2017, he, his brother Dinis, and their parents accompanied their sisterMaria Francisca to theBal des débutantes in Paris.[8]
In August 2018, Afonso joined as an intern in the Social and Pre-Hospitalar Emergency Department, the Voluntary Fire Brigade of Lisbon,[9][10] following in the foot steps ofAfonso, 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 ofPortugal aimed at the environment. In 2019, he participated in a reforestation action inCova da Beira.[11]
He visited theAzores archipelago with his parents,Duarte Pio andIsabel de Herédia, in 2021. This visit included the islands ofFaial,Pico,Terceira andSão Miguel. In the city ofHorta, on the island ofFaial, they met with thePresident of theLegislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of the Azores, representatives of the Parliamentary Groups and thePresident of the Regional Government of the Autonomous Region of the Azores.[12]
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 riderDaniel Pinto, and Afonso presented him the award.[13][14]
The Prince of Beira Award inBiomedical Sciences is an award that distinguishes researchers of excellence in the field of biomedical sciences; it is a partnership of theUniversidade do Minho and the Municipality ofGuimarães.[15][16]
As well as being a claimant to the title ofInfante of Portugal, Afonso de Bragança is a claimant to the title ofPrince of Beira, as he is thefirst-born son ofDuarte Pio, theheir apparent and first in line to thethrone of Portugal. He is also apretender to the titles ofDuke of Barcelos andDuke of Guimarães.[17]
Knight Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion (Sovereign Military Order of Malta)[18]
Knight Grand Cross of theOrder of the Holy Sepulchre (Holy See)[19]
Grand-Cross of theOrder of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa (Royal House of Portugal)[20].svg)
Grand Cross of theImperial Order of the Rose (Brazilian House of Orléans-Braganza)[21]
Knight Grand Cross of Justice of theCastroan-Two Sicilian Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George (Castroan Royal Family of Two Sicilies)[22]| Ancestors of Afonso, Prince of Beira | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Afonso, Prince of Beira Cadet branch of theHouse of Aviz Born: 25 March 1996 | ||
| Titles in pretence | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Prince of Beira Duke of Barcelos 25 March 1996 | Incumbent |