Princess Christine Marie Elisabeth of Orléans-Braganza, neé Princess de Ligne, was born on 11 August 1955 in the Château de

Castle of Belœil

The Château de Belœil or Château of Belœil is a château situated in the municipality of Belœil in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. Since the 14th century it has been the residence of the Prince de Ligne. The château lies in the middle of a magnificent Baroque garden designed in 1664...

 Belœil, Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

. She is the daughter of the late Antoine, 13th Prince of Ligne

Antoine, 13th Prince of Ligne

Antoine Maria Joachim Lamoral, Prince of Ligne, Prince of Épinoy, Prince of Amblise, Grandee of Spain was born on 8 March 1925 in Brussels, Belgium. He was the son of Eugène, 11th Prince of Ligne and Philippine de Noailles...

 and Princess Alix Marie of Luxembourg

Alix, Princess of Ligne

Alix Marie Anne Antoinette Charlotte Gabrielle, Dowager Princess of Ligne, Princess of Luxembourg, Princess of Nassau, Princess of Bourbon-Parma is the daughter of Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg and Felix of Bourbon-Parma-Marriage and issue:On 17 August 1950 in Luxembourg Princess Alix...

.

Her father was head of one of Belgium's foremost noble

Nobility

Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...

 families, mediatized

Mediatization

Mediatisation is the loss of imperial immediacy. Broadly defined it is the subsumption of one monarchy into another monarchy in such a way that the ruler of the annexed state keeps his sovereign title and, sometimes, a measure of local power...

 in 1803. Her mother, Princess Alix

Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg

The Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg consists of the extended family of the sovereign Grand Duke....

 (born 1929), is sister of former Grand Duke Jean

Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg

Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg ruled Luxembourg from 1964 to 2000. He is the father of the current ruler, Grand Duke Henri, and the son of Grand Duchess Charlotte and Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma...

. Through her mother, Princess Christine is a descendant in the fifth generation of King John VI of Portugal

John VI of Portugal

John VI John VI John VI (full name: João Maria José Francisco Xavier de Paula Luís António Domingos Rafael; (13 May 1767 – 10 March 1826) was King of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves (later changed to just King of Portugal and the Algarves, after Brazil was recognized...

 and is a great-grand niece of Brazil's first emperor, Pedro I of Brazil.

Marriage and Children

She married Prince Antonio of Orléans-Braganza

Prince Antonio of Orléans-Braganza

Prince Antônio of Orléans-Braganza , whose baptismal name is Antônio João Maria José Jorge Miguel Gabriel Rafael Gonzaga de Orléans e Bragança e Wittelsbach, is a member of the Imperial House of Brazil...

, son of Prince Pedro Henrique of Orléans-Braganza

Prince Pedro Henrique of Orléans-Braganza

Prince Pedro Henrique of Orléans-Braganza , was a great-grandson of the last emperor of Brazil, Pedro II, and one of two claimants to the abolished throne.-Early life in Europe:...

 and Princess Maria Elisabeth of Bavaria

Princess Maria Elisabeth of Bavaria

align=right|Princess Maria Elisabeth of Bavaria was the eldest daughter of Prince Franz of Bavaria, third son of King Ludwig III of Bavaria.-Early life:...

, on 25 September 1981.

They had four children:

• Prince Pedro Luís of Orléans-Braganza
  Prince Pedro Luís of Orléans-Braganza
  Prince Pedro Luís of Orléans-Braganza was the son of Prince Antônio of Orléans-Braganza, and was expected, on the deaths of his father and childless uncles, to eventually become a pretender to the former imperial crown of Brazil....
  
   (12 January 1983 – 1 June 2009)
• Princess Amélia of Orléans-Braganza (born 15 March 1984)
• Prince Rafael of Orléans-Braganza
  Prince Rafael of Orléans-Braganza
  Prince Rafael of Orléans-Braganza is a member of the Imperial House of Brazil...
  
   (born 24 April 1986)
• Princess Maria Gabriela of Orléans-Bragança (born 8 June 1989)

Ancestry

External links

• http://membres.lycos.fr/behgnam2/ligne-b.htm