Rafael of Orléans-Braganza (Portuguese: Rafael de Orléans e Bragança; born 24 April 1986) is a member of the Imperial House of Brazil and the heir presumptive to his uncle, Bertrand of Orléans-Braganza, the current head of the Vassouras branch of the House of Orléans-Braganza and one of the two principal claimants to the defunct Brazilian throne.
He became heir presumptive on 8 November 2024, following the death of his father, Prince Antônio. A great-great-great-grandson of Brazil’s last emperor, Pedro II of Brazil, he is regarded by supporters of the Vassouras line as the current holder of the courtesy title of Prince Imperial of Brazil.
Contents
Family
Born in Petrópolis, Brazil on 26 April 1986, he is the third child and second son of Prince Antônio de Orleans e Bragança and Princess Christine of Ligne. He has an older brother and sister, Prince Pedro Luiz and Princess Amélia and a younger sister, Princess Maria Gabriela. His name in full is Rafael Antonio Maria José Francisco Miguel Gabriel Gonzaga de Orléans e Bragança e Ligne.
His paternal grandparents were Prince Pedro Henrique of Orléans-Bragança, one of two claimants to be head of the Brazilian Imperial House, and Princess Maria Elisabeth of Bavaria. His maternal grandparents were Antoine, 13th Prince of Ligne, and Princess Alix of Luxembourg. His mother's family, the House of Ligne, is one of the oldest and most prominent Wallonian noble families still extant in Belgium. Christine is a niece of Grand Duke Jean, who reigned in Luxembourg until his abdication in 2000.
Personal life
Rafael has a degree in manufacturing engineering from Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, working at the InBev subsidiary in London. He is fluent in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese, and also has a predilection for football, being an avowed supporter of Fluminense FC.
Rafael also has a partnership and a tourism enterprise with headquarters in New York, Paris and Rio de Janeiro.
Rafael had previously expressed in statements his desire to marry a princess who is part of "Catholic royalty or high nobility". In May 2026 he announced that he was engaged to Margherita delle Piane, a descendent of an Italian noble family, with their wedding scheduled for November 2026 in Florence. However, Rafael's uncle subsequently refused to give his assent to a marriage to delle Piane, meaning that any such marriage would require Rafael to renounce his dynastic rights, which would automatically pass to his sister Dona Maria Gabriela.
Appointments
In February 2022, after the floods that devastated the city of Petrópolis, Rafael came to the aid of the victims, bringing them essential goods that the imperial house received from monarchist supporters.
In November 2022, on the occasion of the World Cup, Prince Raphael was invited to attend the game by the embassy of the state of Qatar in London, the capital of the United Kingdom, where the prince currently resides and works. The prince is the guest of honor at the opening game of the Brazilian National Team against the Serbian National Football Team, at the Lusail Stadium, in Qatar.
Honors
As member of the House of Orléans-Braganza, Prince Rafael hold the following positions:
Commander-Major of the Imperial Order of Our Lord Jesus Christ
Commander-Major of the Imperial Order of Saint Benedict of Aviz
Commander-Major of the Imperial Order of Saint James of the Sword
Grand Cross of the Imperial Order of the Cross
Grand Cross of the Imperial Order of Emperor Pedro I
Grand Cross & Grand Dignitary-Major of the Imperial Order of the Rose
He received the following foreign honors:
Grand Cross of the Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa
Genealogy
Patrilineal descent
Rafael is a member of the House of Orléans-Braganza, a sub-branch of the House of Bourbon, itself a branch of the House of Capet and of the Robertians.
Rafael's patriline is the line from which he is descended father to son. It follows the Dukes of Orléans, the Kings of France, the Dukes and Counts of Vendôme, the Counts of La Marche, the first Duke of Bourbon, a Count of Clermont, and before them, again the Kings of France. The line can be traced back more than 1,200 years and is one of the oldest in Europe.