Christine, Princess Imperial of Brazil

Princess Christine of Ligne (born 11 August 1955 at Chateau de Beloeil), is a Princess of Ligne by birth, as the daughter of Antoine, 13th Prince of Ligne, and a Princess of Brazil by marriage to Prince Antonio of Brazil.

Biography-Early Life

Princess Christine was born at her family's castle in Beloeil, Kingdom of Belgium. Her father was Antoine, 13th Prince of Ligne, Head of the Belgium's foremost noble family, being a mediatized princely house of the former Holy Roman Empire since 1803. Her mother is Princess Alix of Luxembourg, is sister of former Grand Duke Jean. Through her mother, Princess Christine is a descendant in the fifth generation of King John VI of Portugal and Brazil and is a great-grand niece of Brazil's first emperor, Pedro I of Brazil. She is the maternal granddaughter of Charlotte, Grand Duchess Regnant of Luxembourg and Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma. Her godparents were her paternal uncle Prince Baudouin of Ligne and her maternal aunt Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Hohenberg. Christine, like her children, is in the line of succession to the Luxembourgish throne.

Education

Christinea studied at the Internship of French Studies of the Dominican Nuns of Froyennes, in Tournai.

She traveled frequently with his family to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, where she visited his grandmother, his uncles and cousins. In Munich, she learned to speak German, with the purpose of obtaining better results in the baccalaureate (a kind of vestibular of France). After the exams, Christine and her cousin, the Archduchess Maria Astrid of Austria, traveled to India, working together with the nuns of the Order of Santa Cruz for six months. Having exercised his nursing knowledge and provided social assistance to poor children, she went to Madrid, Spain where studied philosophy and Spanish for a year. In 1979, Christine studied at the Higher Institute of Interpretation and Translation of Brussels, working later in the European Common Market. She speaks fluent French, English, Portuguese, and understands German and Spanish well.

Marriage and Issue

She married Prince Antonio of Brazil, son of Crown Prince Pedro Henrique of Brazil and Princess Maria Elisabeth of Bavaria, on 25 September 1981 in Rio de Janeiro.

They had four children:

-Prince Pedro Luiz Maria Jose Miguel Gabriel Rafael Gonzaga of Orleans-Braganza (12 January 1983-1 June 2009)

-Princess Amelia Maria Fatima Josefa Antonia Miguela Gabriela Rafaela Gonzaga of Orleans-Braganza (born 15 March 1984), married to Alexander James Spearman (b. 27 1984). They have two sons:

-Alexander Joaquim Pedro Spearman (b. 30 August 2016, Madrid)

-Nicholas Rafael William Spearman (b. 20 February 2018,Madrid)

-Prince Rafael Antonio Maria Jose Francisco Miguel Gabriel Gonzaga of Orleans-Braganza (born 24 April 1986)

-Princess Maria Gabriela Josefa Fernanda Iolanda Miguela Rafaela Gonzaga of Orleans-Braganza (born 8 June 1989)

The couple went to live in a house in the Imperial City of Petropolis, from where they move to a luxurious apartment in the Neighborhood of Botafogo in the city of Rio Janeiro, where they currently live.

Titles, Styles and Honours

11 August 1955-25 September 1981: Her Highness Princess Christine of Ligne

25 September 1981-15 July 2022 Her Highness Princess Christine of Brazil, Princess of Orleans-Braganza, Princess of Ligne

15 July 2022-present: Her Imperial Highness The Princess Imperial of Brazil

In 2019 Luiz, Prince of Brazil, according to the Vassouras branch claim, granted her husband and her the styles of "Imperial and Royal Highness."

Dynastic Honors

-Portuguese Royal Family: Dame of the Order of Saint Isabel

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

Houses: Ligne (by birth), 0rleans-Braganza (by marriage)

(https://royalty.miraheze.org)