Portugal Just Had Its First Royal Wedding in Over 25 Years

Portugal just had its first royal wedding in over 25 years!

This past weekend, Infanta Maria Francisca, Duchess of Coimbra, married Duarte de Sousa Araújo Martins at the Palace of Mafra. Maria Francisca is the only daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Braganza; her father, Duarte Pio, is heir to the defunct Portuguese throne and head of the House of Braganza. The last royal wedding was that of Maria Francisca's parents, in 1995; her two brothers, Alfonso and Dinis, are unmarried.

For her wedding, Maria Francisca wore a dress by Luzia do Nascimento, and a diamond tiara that belonged to Queen Amélie, the last queen of Portugal.

Queen Amélie of Portugal, circa 1900

Maria Francisca and Duarte de Sousa Araújo Martins began dating in 2019 after meeting at a party in Azeitão, according to CNN Portugal. He proposed at the end of last year on Mount Ramelau, in East Timor. At the end of this year, the newlyweds plan to move to London, where Duarte will continue working for the law firm Uría Menéndez.

Duarte told CNN Portugal he hopes the wedding will encourage public support for the Portuguese royals. "Regardless of the current political system, I believe that the Portuguese are inexorably linked to a unique and rare identity: we are a people linked to God, the land, our history and our culture. These are elements that unite us in a special way to each other. I hope that the wedding promotes the cause as it recalls the foundation of this special identity that we built and inherited," he said.

According to Tatler, among the 1,200 guests at the wedding included Princess Miriam al-Ghazi of Jordan, Prince Sebastien, Prince Guillaume, and Princess Sibilla of Luxembourg, and Prince Philipp and Princess Isabelle of Liechtenstein, in addition to other royals.

Emily Burack

Senior News Editor

Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, culture, the royals, and a range of other subjects. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram.