Anita of Braganza
American socialite and heiress
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The basics
Quick Facts
| Intro | American socialite and heiress | ||
| Places | United States of America | ||
| was | Socialite | ||
| Gender |
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| Birth | 7 August 1886, New York City | ||
| Death | 15 September 1977Newport (aged 91 years) | ||
| Family |
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The details
Biography
Anita Stewart Morris (August 7, 1886, Elberon, New Jersey – September 15, 1977), also known as Princess Miguel of Braganza, Duchess of Viseu, was an American socialite and heiress who married Prince Miguel, Duke of Viseu, grandson of King Miguel I of Portugal, and the eldest son of Dom Miguel, Duke of Braganza, who was Miguelist claimant to the throne of Portugal from 1866 to 1920.
Personal life
Anita Rhinelander Stewart was born to Annie McKee Armstrong and William Rhinelander Stewart. The princess had one sibling, William Rhinelander Stewart, Jr. After her parents divorced in August 1906, her mother married the millionaire James Henry Smith. Smith died in Japan in 1907 while on their honeymoon. Annie McKee Armstrong Stewart Smith then married Jean de Saint Cyr on 25 April 1915.
Stewart married Dom Miguel of Braganza, Infante of Portugal, Duke of Viseu, in Dingwall Castle, Scotland, on September 15, 1909; she had been created Princess of Braganza by the Emperor of Austria the day before. Out of this union, three children were born:
- Nadejda de Braganza
- Miguel de Braganza
- John de Braganza
All of them used the title Prince or Princess until 1920, when their parents' marriage was deemed to be in contravention of royal law.
Nadejda married Vadim Dorozynski in Capri, Italy on August 16, 1930, as her first husband; she committed suicide in 1936, after her marriage to René Millet.
Miguel graduated from the St. George School in Newport, Rhode Island in 1933.
Dom Miguel, Duke of Viseu, died in 1923, after which the Princess moved to New York City. In order to regain her American citizenship, she had to renounce her royal title. However, society continued to refer to her with her regal title.
Anita de Braganza married Lewis Gouverneur Morris in New York City in 1946. After that, she continued to operate a photography studio in Manhattan and spend time at Malbone their Gothic Revival estate in Newport, Rhode Island.
Anita died at the age of 91, on September 15, 1977 at her home in Newport, Rhode Island.