Marie-Amelie of Orleans (1865–1951)

Queen of Portugal . Name variations: Amalia of Paris; Amélia or Amélie; Amelia of Orleans. Born on September 28, 1865, in Twickenham, Middlesex, England; died on October 25, 1951, at Château de Bellevue, Le Chesnay, Versailles; daughter of Louis Philippe (1838–1894), count of Paris, and Maria Isabella (1848–1919); married Carlos also known as Charles I (1863–1908), king of Portugal (r. 1889–1908), on May 22, 1886; children: Luis Filepe also known as Louis Philippe (1887–1908), duke of Braganza; Maria Ana of Portugal (1887–1887); Manuel II (1889–1932), king of Portugal (r. 1908–1910).

Born in Great Britain in 1865, Marie-Amelie of Orleans was the daughter of the counts of Paris, exiled descendants of the French Bourbon family. In 1886, she married Charles I of Portugal. Queen Amelia, as she was best known in Portugal, founded the Carriage Museum in 1905 and dedicated much of her time to the campaign against tuberculosis. She was present when her husband and her son Louis Philippe were assassinated on February 1, 1908.

Amelia was the last Portuguese queen. Her second son, Manuel II, succeeded to the throne following the assassinations, and he did not marry until after he had been deposed in 1910 by a republican insurrection. Amelia accompanied her son into exile in England, although she later took up residence at Versailles. With the permission of the Portuguese government, she

returned to visit Portugal in 1945. Her death occurred on October 25, 1951.

sources:

Sá, Aires de. Rainha D. Amélia. Lisbon: Parceria A.M. Pereira, 1928.

Kendall W. Brown , Professor of History, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah