Dom Duarte as the defacto head of the
Portuguese royal family, was the one who resolved the problem of who inherited
the dukedom of Cadaval when Dom Jaime died in 2001.
At a family meeting he
respected the wishes of the late Duke by awarding Diane the peerage of
Duchess of Cadaval for life. He bestowed upon Rosalinda the hereditary titles of
13th Marquesss of Ferreira and 23rd Countess of Tentúgal,
plus the courtesy title of Duchess of Cadaval-Guerrand-Hermès.
Apparently, according to the Duke of Braganza, the dukedon of Cadaval
is not of automatic succession and the title-holder has to be confirmed
by the royal house.
It is the same in Spain, where the heir has to apply to the council of nobles to secure the title.
Therefore, when Diane
dies,
the head of the Portuguese house of Braganza will then decide who will
be the 12th duke or duchess of Cadaval. The choices come from Diane's
offspring, or
the families of her sister Alexandra or her half-sisters.
But it is clear which duchess of Cadaval is in charge of the family seat
in beautiful Evora.
Since possession is nine-tenths of the law, it was widow
Duchess Claudine who hosted the spectacular pre-wedding ball and the wedding
banquet at the Ducal palace. Her daughter's wedding on June 21 cements her
branch's claim.
The bride was beautiful in her Cadaval tiara and gown, and the guests rose
to the occasion.
Diana wore the most stunning Oscar de la Renta gown, standing beside
the other belle of the ball, Camilla, the new Duchess of Castro (a
title bestowed upon the death of her father-in-law).
Her in-laws, who are the next generation of
Napoleons, cheered on the newlyweds while the groom's parents put on a show of unity
as their younger son escorted Alexandra de Cadaval to her seat. Meanwhile, the Comte de
Paris and his sons looked equally relaxed as they posed for photos.
Honeymooning in secret, the couple will be known as Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and
Duchess d'Anjou and de Cadaval as they carry out their royal and humanitarian work whilst juggling the management
of the Cadaval enterprises from their home base in Estoril.
That's how it's done. A jolly good show, Your Royal Highnesses!
"If you had spent your life in a warship you would not know about taste"
Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother's response to a snob who questioned her grandson Prince Andrew's taste due to the supermarket style design of his Sunninghill home
