 The U.S. minister in Brazil reported that his birth was heralded "by rockets and artillery, and was followed by a grand fetê day at court ... and by illuminations and displays of various sorts and public rejoicings". As was customary within the House of Braganza, Afonso's birth was a formal event attended by the imperial court. Pedro II immediately presented the newborn baby to the throng gathered in the palace, announcing "Gentlemen, it is a prince whom God ..." — here he was overcome with emotion and was unable to continue. The birth of a much needed male heir — thus regarded by contemporaries — was met with joy throughout the empire. Luís Alves de Lima e Silva (then Baron and later Duke of Caxias) wrote to his father: "No one was happier than I with the news [of the prince's birth]".
