Prince Pedro Carlos of Orléans-Braganza (born 31 October 1945) is one of two claimants to the defunct Brazilian throne, and head of the Petrópolis

Petrópolis

Petrópolis , also known as The Imperial City of Brazil, is a town in the state of Rio de Janeiro, about 65 km from the city of Rio de Janeiro....

 branch of the Brazilian Imperial House.

Life

Prince Pedro Carlos was born in Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...

, the eldest son of six children of Prince Pedro Gastão of Orléans-Braganza

Prince Pedro Gastão of Orléans-Braganza

Prince Pedro Gastão of Orléans-Braganza was one of two claimants to the Brazilian throne and head of the Petrópolis branch of the Brazilian Imperial House.-Biography:Prince Pedro Gastão was the son of Prince Pedro de Alcântara...

 and his wife, Princess Maria de la Esperanza of Bourbon-Two Sicilies

Princess Maria de la Esperanza of Bourbon-Two Sicilies

Princess Maria de la Esperanza Amalia Raniera Maria Rosario Luisa Gonzaga of Bourbon-Two Sicilies was the youngest daughter of Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies and his wife Princess Louise of Orléans...

. He was baptised with the names Pedro de Alcântara Carlos João Lourenço Miguel Rafael Gabriel Gonzaga.

By his father, Pedro Carlos is the cousin of Prince Henri, Count of Paris, Duke of France (born 1933), Orléanist pretender to the French throne

Orléanist

The Orléanists were a French right-wing/center-right party which arose out of the French Revolution. It governed France 1830-1848 in the "July Monarchy" of king Louis Philippe. It is generally seen as a transitional period dominated by the bourgeoisie and the conservative Orleanist doctrine in...

, and Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza

Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza

Dom Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza , is the 24th Duke of Braganza and a pretender to the throne of Portugal.-Birth and education:...

 (born 1945), pretender to the throne of Portugal. By his mother, he is also the cousin of King Juan Carlos I of Spain

Juan Carlos I of Spain

Juan Carlos I |Italy]]) is the reigning King of Spain.On 22 November 1975, two days after the death of General Francisco Franco, Juan Carlos was designated king according to the law of succession promulgated by Franco. Spain had no monarch for 38 years in 1969 when Franco named Juan Carlos as the...

 (born 1938).

Marriages and Family

Pedro Carlos has been married and widowed twice. Each marriage has resulted in one son.

He married Rony Kuhn de Souza (20 March 1938 – 14 January 1979) on 2 September 1975, at Petrópolis. Together, they had one son:

• HI&RH Prince Pedro Thiago of Orléans-Braganza
  Prince Pedro Thiago of Orléans-Braganza
  Prince Pedro Thiago of Orléans-Braganza is a member of the Brazilian Imperial Family. According to the claims of the Petrópolis branch, he is the current Prince Imperial of Brazil and therefore first in line of succession to the defunct Brazilian throne.-Biography:He was born in Petrópolis the son...
  
   (born 12 January 1979) – Prince Imperial of Brazil
  Prince Imperial of Brazil
  Prince Imperial of Brazil is the title created after the proclamation of independence of the Empire of Brazil, in 1822, to designate the heir apparent to the Brazilian imperial throne...
  
   according to the Petrópolis branch

Pedro Carlos' wife, Princess Rony of Orléans-Braganza, died two days after the birth of their son.

On 16 July 1981, at Fazenda São Geraldo, Pedro Carlos married Patricia Alexandra Branscombe (22 November 1964 – 21 November 2009). The couple had one son:

• HI&RH Prince Filipe of Orléans-Braganza (born 31 December 1982)

Princess Patricia of Orléans-Braganza, died at the Palácio do Grão-Pará in Petrópolis

Petrópolis

Petrópolis , also known as The Imperial City of Brazil, is a town in the state of Rio de Janeiro, about 65 km from the city of Rio de Janeiro....

.

Political beliefs

Prince Pedro Carlos is considered to be a claimant of the Brazilian throne by monarchists who believe the renunciation of his grandfather was invalid, but a Spanish newspaper has reported that Pedro Carlos subscribes to a Republican

Republicanism

Republicanism is the ideology of governing a nation as a republic, where the head of state is appointed by means other than heredity, often elections. The exact meaning of republicanism varies depending on the cultural and historical context...

 point of view. Since the death of his father he is considered as the senior representative of the Imperial House of Brazil.

Ancestry