Prince Joao Henrique of Brazil

Prince Joao of Brazil (born 24 April 1954, Rio de Janeiro), better known as Dom Joaozinho, is a Prince of Brazil and member of the House of Orleans-Braganza. A successful photographer, entrepreneur and pro-parliamentarian activist, he is currently the most popular member of the Imperial House of Brazil.

Only child, Prince Joao Henrique is the unique case as a result of a relationship between an American royal house and an African one. He was born in Rio de Janeiro, son of Prince Joao Maria of Brazil and the Egyptian Fatma Scherifa Chirine, the widower Princess of Alexandria. Widely considered a liberal, Prince Joao Henrique is a strong supporter of parliamentarian as a system of government. As a photographer, he worked to expose the need to defend indigenous peoples. He has a good relationship with several politicians, including former Presidents, and with the British and Spanish royal families, among others.

Twice married and the father of a son and daughter, the latter with down syndrome, D. Joao currently lives in the colonial city of Paraty, where he owns an inn.

Biography-Early Life

Prince Joao Henrique was born in Rio de Janeiro, then Federal capital of Brazil, in 24 April 1954. He is the only son of Prince Joao Maria of Brazil with Fatma Scherifa Chirina, the widower Princess of Alexandria in the Kingdom of Egypt. By his father, he was grandson of Emperor Pedro III of Brazil and a 1st cousin to Henri, Count of Paris and Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza, and technically also a 1st cousin to King Carlos I of Spain, while by his mother he was related to the Egyptian and Persian royalty. He grew largely in Rio, as his father was vice-president of the Panair of Brasil airline.

His mother Fatma had been previously married to Prince Hassan Toussoun of Egypt, The Prince of Alexandria, a cousin to the reigning King Farouk I. She and Hassan had one daughter, Princes Melekper Toussoun. Joao Henrique's father, Joao Maria, met Fatma in 1946 as he went to Cairo as part of a Brazilian military mission; he was a Lieutenant in the Brazilian Air Force and a veteran of the Italian campaign in the Second World War. The two of them soon got engaged much to the displeased of King Farouk, of whom Fatma had been a lover while married to the late Prince Hassan. The couple had to flee Egypt in 1949 due to the King's ban on Fatma leaving the country. They were married in Sintra, Portugal. Fatma's and Hassan's daughter, Melekper, was left behind in Egypt to be raised by King Farouk as a half-sister of the future King Fuad II of Egypt. It is speculated that Melekper is actually the daughter of Farouk, not Hassan, with Fatma, and that is why the monarch welcomed her with such affection.

As a direct result of this history, both Joao Henrique, Melekper and the former King of Egypt maintained frequent contact and consider themselves siblings, meeting regularly at least once a year.

Career

Dom Joao holds a degree in photography from Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.

Since his graduation, the prince has dedicated himself to photographing all of Brazil, from its nature to the people who inhabit the vast South American country and its cultures. He gained some prominence in the field, having his work exhibited in national and international galleries, such as the Pierre Cardin Galerie in Paris. His most famous photographic work was carried out in 2011, with the Xingu tribe in the interior of Mato Grosso, in pantanal. On the occasion, Dom Joao had a touching reunion with the indigenous Marcelo Kamayura, whom he had carried in his arms as a baby in 1973 in the first photographic work he did in the Xingu Indigenous Park. In addition to his photographic work, Dom Joao is also businessman, owning a 3-star hotel in the municipality of Paraty, a colonial city in the interior of the state of Rio de Janeiro, called Pousada do Principe, or The Prince's Inn. In the same place, the prince lives in a retrofitted townhouse popularly known as O Sobrado do Principe or The Prince's Townhouse. He is still a member of the organization body of the International Literary Festival of Paraty and has investments in Rio de Janeiro.

Marriage and Issue

In 1986 Prince Joao married Ms. Stella Leao Lutterbach, with whom he had two children: Prince Joao Philippe of Brazil (Paraty, 27 November 1986), married to Ms. Yasmine Paranagua (a great-great-great-granddaughter of Joao Lustosa da Cunha Paranagua, 2nd Marquis of Paranagua). They are parents to: Princess Mia of Brazil (Singapore 29 April 2015), Prince Joao Antonio of Brazil (Singapore, 21 June 2017), Princess Maria Cristina of Brazil (Paraty, 26 December 1989), author of three books and with down syndrome.

In 2009 Prince Joao and Princess Stella got divorced, and later married Ms. Ana Claudia Melli.

Activism

Dom Joao is a strong supporter of the reintroduction of parliamentary system, which was in force in Brazil between 1847 and 1889, during the monarchy, and between 1961 and 1963, during the republic. Despite not actively defending the restoration of the monarchy, the prince always adds that "the monarchy perfects parliamentarism" and that the Brazilian monarchical regime was proportionally superior to the six republics that followed it, three of which had dictatorships. In his promotion of parliamentarism, he says he does not consider himself a priori monarchist, but a pro-parliamentarism, which is why the newspaper Folha de S. Paulo labeled him "The Republican Prince." Notorious for his position and his progressive opinions, Dom Joao regularly gives interviews and participates in or is the subject of journalistic articles in the main national media vehicles and in important international media such as El Pais and BBC. The Prince is openly liberal and progressive, a defender of parliamentary democracy with elements of direct democracy, the rights of minorities such as the gay marriage, preserving the environment, combating global warming, secular state and demarcating and respecting indigenous territories.

At various times Dom Joao criticized what he called the "distorted and exacerbated conservatism" of some members of the Brazilian imperial family, such as his cousin Prince Bertrand, as well as the Brazilian right, as well as politicians such as the former President Jair Bolsonaro. Despite being sympathetic to Lula as President of Brazil, the Prince became critical of the posture and actions of the president and the Worker's Party, mainly after their involvement in corruption schemes investigated by Car Wash Operation. At various times Dom Joao was invited to become a politician, including by the former govern of Rio de Janeiro, Leonel Brizola, and by the ex-President of Brazil of whom he is a friend, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, but refused, claiming that his family must be non-partisan by obligation, as princes.

1993 Referendum

During the 1993 Brazilian constitutional referendum, Dom Joao campaigned mainly for the restoration of the parliamentary regime, and endorsed the claim of his uncle Pedro Gastao, Prince of Brazil, to the throne of Brazil if the monarchy won in the ballot. On spite of this, due to his popularity among the civilian society and the liberal political class (specially the social-democrats and the center to center-left politicians), he ended up becoming unofficially one of the pretenders to the throne, having his name figured as one of the favorite, to take the throne if the monarchy was restored. As a result, part of the monarchical campaign, which was not unified, forced on Dom Joao. Nevertheless, despite the effects of activists, the monarchy was defeated, received 13% of the valid votes. The same fate was shared by the parliamentary system, which obtained 30% of the valid votes.

Other Activities-Relations with Royalty

Related to many royal families, specially those of France, Portugal and Egypt, Prince Joao Henrique has unique royal connections. Besides his family connection with Egyptian royalty, being in a brotherly relation both with his sister, Princess Melekper of Egypt, and with the deposed King Fuad II (Melekper is his half-sister and was raised as Fuad's sister, possibly being his half-sister as well, so they all consider themselves siblings), he is relatively close to the British Royal Family, being a personal friend of Prince Michael of Kent and attending his and his family's fests and balls in places like the Windsor Castle. In Brazil, he received Lady Gabriella Windsor, when she was studying history of Latin America. He is also very close to King Juan Carlos I of Spain, of whom he is technically a cousin (his uncle's wife was King's aunt), having been a frequent guest at the Zaruela Palace during Juan Carlos's reign. He was also reportedly the Countess of Paris's favorite nephew and is friend to Prince Amedeo, Duke of Aosta.

Titles, Styles and Honors

Titles and Styles

24 April 1954-present His Highness Prince Joao Henrique of Brazil

Honors

-Brazilian Imperial Family: Grand Cross of the Imperial Order of Pedro I

-Brazilian Imperial Family: Grand Cross of the Imperial Order of the Rose

-Italian Royal Family: Grand Cordon of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus

House: Orleans-Braganza

Religion: Roman Catholic

(https://royalty.miraheze.org)