The last King of Portugal, Dom Manuel II, died in exile in 1932.

He left no descendants. And there were no legitimate descendants from his great-grandmother (Queen Dona Maria II), or from his great-great-grandfather (King Dom Pedro IV.

According to Constitutional Charter regulations, which in fact followed the principles of the old Basic Law, the descendant with Portuguese nationality from the previous legitimate collateral line, according to birthright and representation rules, should succeed to the throne, as Head of the Royal House.

The above mentioned previous collateral line included the descendants of Dom Miguel I, son of Dom João VI and uncle, on his father’s side, of Dona Maria II.

Dom Miguel I’s firstborn son was Dom Miguel II. Who in turn had three male children, but only Dom Duarte Nuno had Portuguese nationality.

Thus, following the death of Dom Manuel II, Dom Duarte Nuno became Head of the Royal House of Portugal. Should the monarchy be restored, he would succeed to the throne of Portugal.

And this fact was accredited by almost all monarchists and peacefully accepted throughout the country and abroad.

Dom Duarte Nuno married, before the Portuguese consular authorities in Brazil, Dona Maria Francisca of Orléans-Braganza, legitimate descendant of that country’s Imperial House, and thus of our Dom Pedro IV (Emperor Pedro I of Brazil).

Dom Duarte Pio, born in 1945, was the first child of this marriage, and upon the death of his father in 1976, became the Head of the Royal House of Portugal.

He has always served the Country in this capacity, actively trying to meet the numerous initiatives requested of him, either as representative of the Kings of Portugal, or to keep alive their rich cultural heritage or even to assist and promote assistance to the most disadvantaged, by approaching foreign authorities, namely in the CPLP countries.

Dom Duarte Pio was the godchild and heir of Queen Dona Amélia (mother of Dom Manuel II) and is today the Head of the Royal House of Portugal.