Royal Profile:Isabel Inês de Herédia, Duchess of Braganza

Isabel Inês de Herédia, Duchess of Braganza was born 22 November 1966 as the daughter of D. Jorge de Heredia and Raquel Leonor Pinheiro Curvelo{Source}. 

She grew up in Angola (which was then Portugese Angola) amd Portugal, before her family moved to Brazil {Source}. When in Brazil, she studied at the Colégio São Luís {Source}.  In 1990, she obtained a degree in business administration from the Fundação Getúlio Vargas and returned to Portugal to a job in BMF — Sociedade de Gestão de Patrimónios, S.A{Source}. 

On 13 May 1995, she married Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza, with many representatives from various European royal and noble houses, and Portuguese members of Government in attendance {Source}. Together, they have three children{Source}:

• Alfonso, Prince of Beira (1996)
• Infanta Maria Francisca (1997)
• Infante Denis, Duke of Porto (1999)

Following her marriage and the birth of Alfonso, she resigned from her professional career to care for her growing family and devote herself to various charities. She became patron to{Source}:

• Refúgio Aboim Ascensão-Faro: A private social solidarity institution which helps victims of physical abuse, negligence, and any other social injustice or disadvantage adapt socially.
• Ajuda ao Recém Nascido: An institution linked with the Alfredo da Costa Maternity, in Lisbon, which provides clothes, provisions, and other necessities children recently born to disadvantaged families.
• Trissomia 21: A private social non-profit association which sponsors and supports research and education for Down syndrome.
• Associação Portuguesa de Miastenia Grave e Doenças Neuro-Musculares: An association linked with Santa Maria Hospital, in Lisbon, which works for the improvement of patient care at the hospital.
• Ajuda de Berço: An institution which temporarily hosts children, from new-borns to three year-olds, that are in situations where their parents cannot take care of them.
• Os Francisquinhos: A social solidarity association linked with São Francisco Xavier Hospital, in Lisbon, that collaborates with parents and friends of deformed children, children born with serious diseases, and children born with complications due to the toxic dependencies of their mothers.