The Emperor abdicated the Brazilian throne of 7 April 1831 and left Brazil for Portugal in order to support his eldest daughter's claim to the Portuguese throne. Pedro's vessel left that very morning and Pedro, now styling himself "the Duke of Braganza", took with him Amélie, Maria da Glória and his sister D. Ana de Jesus. The children never saw their father or stepmother again. Before he left, Pedro had appointed José Bonifácio de Andrada as legal guardian, Mariana de Verna Coutinho to continue as "aia", and an afro-Brazilian war veteran named Rafael to generally tend to his children. Out of these three, Rafael remained loyal to the Emperor until his death in 1889.