Diana Alvares Melo, 11th Duchess of Cadaval

Dona Diana Alvares Pereira de Melo (b. Geneva 25 July 1978), Princess of Orleans, 11th Duchess of Cadaval, Duchess of Anjou, is a Portuguese noblewomen and author. She is the eldest daughter of D. Jaime Alvares Pereira de Melo, 10th Duke of Cadaval's second marriage with Claudine Marguerite Marianne Tritz.

Career

She studied International communication at the American University of Paris.

She manages the House of Cadaval properties, which historically included the Palace of the Dukes of Cadaval, in Evora, and the Muge estate, in Santarem.

In the summer of 2015 the duchess collaborated with Hubert de Givenchy to open to the public an exhibit of haute couture bridal gowns in the palace church, Saint John-the- Evangelist. Chosen and arranged by Givenchy, the twelve dresses on display were originals borrowed from such designers as Yves Saint-Laurant, Balenciaga, Dior and include "The Nun" gown designed in 1972 for the marriage of the Spanish Caudillo Franco's granddaughter, Carmen Martinez-Bordiu to Alphonso XIII's grandson Alfonso de Bourbon, Duke of Cadiz, as well as the Givenchy dress Diana wore for her own 2008 wedding.

She is also an author of several books on personalities pertaining to the history of the Portuguese monarch, which she publishes under the name of Diana de Cadaval.

Succession

Dona Diana's father was married twice, but only the second marriage was a religious ceremony. Diana has two older half-sisters, an older half-brother (born from her father's extramarital relationship) and a younger sister:

-Dona Rosalinda Aurora Felicidade Alvares Pereira Melo (born 1936)

-Dona Maria Graziela Consuelo Alvares Pereira Melo (born 1938)

-Jaime Alvares Pereira Melo (1946)

-Dona Alexandra Eugenie Alvares Pereira Melo (born 1982)

When the Duke died in 2001, the eldest daughters of both marriages, Rosalinda and Diana, disputed the family heritage. Dom Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza recognized Diana as 11th Duchess of Cadaval (on a non-hereditary basis, as all holders of the Dukedom of Cadaval in the past have been obtained recognition of the title during their lifetime), acting on the authority attributed to him post-monarchy by the Conselho de Nobreza (Council of the Nobility) as Head of the Royal House of Braganza. He granted to her eldest half-sister, Dona Rosalinda, the new title of Duchess of Cadaval-Hermes, as she's married with Hubert Guerrand-Hermes, heir of Hermes.

Marriage

On 21 June 2008, Dona Diana married Prince Charles Philippe, Duke of Anjou (born 1973). The ceremony took place in the Cathedral of Evora, a monument declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988.

Both wife and husband are Capetians, descending in unbroken male line from King Robert II of France (972-1031), Diana from his younger son Robert I, Duke of Burgundy through the royal (though illegitimate)

Portuguese branch of the House of Braganza, and Chrales-Philippe through the elder son, King Henry I of France, via the cadet branch of the House of Bourbon-Orleans. The couple are also fifth cousins once-removed through shared descent from King Francis I of the Two-Sicilies.

Diana's children by Charles-Philippe bear the title "Prince/Princess d'Orleans" and the style of Royal Highness. Although not expected to inherit their mother's ducal title because of the terms of its recognition, traditionally, male Orleans dynasty receive individual, non-hereditary noble titles derived from the historical appanages of the French royal family.

The couple's first child, Princess Isabelle d'Orleans, was born on February 22 2012 in Libson, Portugal. The princess is named after her great-grandmother, the Countess of Paris, born Princess Isabelle of Orleans-Braganza. Her godparents are Princess Dora (Maria-Theodora) von Lowenstein and Felipe VI of Spain (then Prince of Asturias).

Titles and Styles

25 July 1978-30 July 2001: Dona Diana Mariana Vitoria Alvares Pereira de Melo

30 July 2001-21 June 2008: Dona Diana Mariana Vitoria Alvares Pereira de Melo, 11th Duchess of Cadaval

21 June 2008-present: Her Royal Highness Princess Diana, Duchess of Anjou, 11th Duchess of Cadaval

House: Cadaval (by birth)

House: Orleans (by marriage)

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