Anita de Braganza

Anita Stewart Morris (August 7, 1886 – September 15, 1977) 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.

Anita de Braganza
Born
Anita Rhinelander Stewart

(1886-08-07)August 7, 1886
Elberon, New Jersey, U.S.
DiedSeptember 15, 1977(1977-09-15) (aged 91)
Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Other namesPrincess Miguel of Braganza
Anita Stewart Morris
TitlePrincess Miguel of Braganza, Duchess of Viseu
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 1909; died 1923)​

​
​
(m. 1946; died 1967)​
ChildrenJohn de Braganza
Miguel de Braganza
Isabel Maria "Nadejda" de Braganza
Parent(s)Annie Armstrong
William Rhinelander Stewart Sr.
RelativesLispenard Stewart (uncle)

Early life

Anita Rhinelander Stewart was born in Elberon, New Jersey, on August 7, 1886. She was the daughter of Annie McKee Armstrong (1864–1925) and William Rhinelander Stewart (1852–1929). She had one sibling, William Rhinelander Stewart, Jr. Her father was an attorney who managed several trusts for his family. Her parents divorced in August 1906, and afterwards, her mother married James Henry Smith. Smith died in Japan in 1907 while on their honeymoon. Her mother then married Jean de Saint Cyr on April 25, 1915.[1]

Her paternal grandparents were Lispenard Stewart (1809–1867) and Mary Rogers (née Rhinelander) Stewart (1821–1893).[2] Her uncle was New York State Senator Lispenard Stewart (1855–1927), who did not marry.[3]

Career

After her husband died in 1923, Anita 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.[3]

Following her second marriage, she continued to operate a photography studio in Manhattan and spend time at Malbone, their Gothic Revival estate in Newport, Rhode Island.[4]

Personal life

On September 15, 1909, Stewart married Prince Miguel, Duke of Viseu (1878–1923) at St. Lawrence's Catholic Church in Dingwall, Scotland, with the reception at Dingwall Castle.[5][6][7][8] On September 6, a week preceding her wedding, Franz Joseph I, the Emperor of Austria, bestowed the style of Prinzessin von Braganza (Princess of Braganza), on her.[9][10] Her husband was the eldest son of Miguel, Duke of Braganza and Princess Elisabeth of Thurn and Taxis. In order to get the consent of his father to marry Anita, Dom Miguel had to renounce all claim to the throne of Portugal in favor of his younger brother, Prince Francis Joseph.[9] Out of this union, three children were born, all of whom used the title Prince or Princess until 1920, when their parents' marriage was deemed to be in contravention of royal law:

  • Isabel Maria "Nadejda" de Braganza (1910–1946), who married Wlodzimierz "Vadim" Dorozynski in Capri, Italy on August 16, 1930. They divorced in 1932 and in 1942, she married René Millet.[3]
  • John de Braganza (1912–1991), who married Winifred Dodge Seyburn in 1948. They divorced in 1953 and in 1971, he was married to Katharine (née King) Bahnson (1921–2007).[11][12]
  • Miguel de Braganza (1915–1996), a St. George School graduate[13] who married Anne Hughson in 1946.

In 1946, Anita married Lewis Gouverneur Morris (1882–1967), the son of Francis Morris and Harriet Hall (née Bedlow) Morris, in New York City.[2]

Anita died at the age of 91, on September 15, 1977, at her home in Newport, Rhode Island.[4]

References
  1. (in French) Jean Saint-Cyr / “St. Cyr Party”, Bar Harbor, Maine, 1914.
  2. "PRINCESS BRAGANCA TO BE WED APRIL 10; Former Anita Stewart, Widow of Prince Miguel, and Lewis G. Morris to Marry Here". The New York Times. 23 March 1946. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  3. "MISS DE BRAGANZA MARRIED IN ITALY; Daughter of Princess Miguel de Braganza Wed Vadim Dorozynski in Capri Aug. 16. BRIDE STUDIED FOR STAGE; Newport Debutante of 1928 is a Granddaughter of the Late William Rhinelander Stewart". The New York Times. September 3, 1930.
  4. "Anita Stewart Morris, 91, Dies; Heiress Wed a European Prince". The New York Times. September 16, 1977.
  5. "ANITA STEWART WILL WED PRINCE MIGUEL; Daughter of Mrs. James Henry Smith to Marry Son of Portuguese Pretender. GRANDFATHER WAS KING Father of Bride-to-be William Rhinelander Stewart -- First Marriage to Bring American Into Royal Circle. ANITA STEWART WILL WED PRINCE MIGUEL". The New York Times. 10 July 1909. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  6. "ANITA STEWART WEDS SOON.; Will Become Prince Miguel's Bride in Scotland Sept. 15". The New York Times. 20 August 1909. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  7. "MISS STEWART WEDS TO-DAY.; American Girl Will Be the Bride of Prince Miguel of Braganza". The New York Times. 15 September 1909. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  8. "MISS STEWART WEDS; HOLDS TO HER FAITH; Becomes Bride of Prince Miguel, but Has Not Entered the Catholic Church. PRINCE RETAINS RIGHTS Has Not Yielded His Place in Line of Succession to the Throne -- Royalty at the Wedding". The New York Times. 16 September 1909. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  9. "MISS STEWART A PRINCESS.; Emperor Francis Joseph Confers the Rank in Her Own Right". The New York Times. 7 September 1909. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  10. Marquis of Ruvigny and Raineval, The Nobilities of Europe (London, 1910) page 237
  11. "Mrs. Katharine Bahnson Wed In South to John de Bragança". The New York Times. 16 May 1971. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  12. "John de Braganca, Investment Banker, 79". The New York Times. 15 March 1991. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  13. "SCHOOL IN NEWPORT HOLDS GRADUATION; Colonists Attend St. George Exercises as 29 Students Receive Their Diplomas". The New York Times. June 16, 1933.
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