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After D.Manuel II's wedding, Queen D.Amélia settled in France near Versailles where she bought the Chateau de Bellevue.
When WW2 broke, and Germany invaded France, Prime-Minister Salazar invited the Queen to move to Portugal who was "sort of" neutral during the conflict.
D.Amélia's first reaction was to accept, but her sense of duty spoke louder.
"France has welcomed during my years of exile. Its is my duty to stay in France and do the best for the french". And she politely refused the offer.
Her Chateau was partially occuppied by the Germans but the Queen suffered no harm or major humiliation.
Salazar might have pulled some strings with the highest hierarchy of the Reich, as he did later, when two Infantas of the Miguelist branch were arrested in Vienna.
Salazar entertained a long time correspondence with D.Amélia.
He was a monarchic who realized that the monarchy was not viable in Portugal, disagreeing with Franco when he suggested that he should give the throne to the Duke of Braganza and "tame" him to be a supporter of the regime.
As to D.Amélia, she was ever a supporter of Salazar whom she saw as the saviour of the country.
Finally, in 1945, after the end of the war, she accepted Salazar's invitation to visit Portugal and she stayed for one and a half months.
Her main purpose was to pray near the tombs of her husband and both sons.
The visit was an enormous success with people from every classes cheering the Queen whenever she appeared.
She made several journeys, visiting Lisbon, her beloved Sintra, Fátima (became known after the miracles of 1917 when she was already in exile), São Martinho do Porto, Foz do Arelho, Buçaco (in the palace D.Carlos ordered), Alcobaça, Batalha, Mafra, Ericeira (where the RF departed to exile), Cascais (where the RF spent part of the year) and Queluz.
Two events marked her visit - a death and a birth.
The death - During one reception, the General-Secretary of the Foreign Office felt such emotion that he died of a heart attack after kissing the Queen's hand.
The birth - A couple of weeks before, a little prince was born in Berne, Switzerland.
He was the son of the Pretendant to the throne, D.Duarte Nuno and his wife D.Maria Francisca.
Salazar had entertained the idea of revoking the Ban Law that prevented the Braganzas to return to Portugal.
He was in favour but he did not want to pay the bill.
After the death of D.Manuel II, he had "captured" the Braganzas heritage in the Foundation of the House of Braganza.
The exiled Duke of Braganza protested but nothing came out of it.
So, canning Salazar suggested that D.Amélia should be the Godmother of the newly born Infant D.Duarte Pio, the current Duke of Braganza and leave him most of her heritage in her will.
D.Amélia accepted the suggestion.
There was a mass in intention of the little Infant during D.Amélia's presence in Lisbon, but she invoked heath problems and did not attend but send her representant.
After this visit, D.Amélia did not return, after all she was 80 y.old, but when she died in 1951, Portugal gave her a state funeral, as it had happened with D.Manuel II in 1932.
https://osaldahistoria.blogs.sapo.pt/quando-a-rainha-voltou-67792
https://monarquiaportuguesa.blogs.sapo.pt/visita-da-rainha-d-amelia-a-portugal-1277703
Video of the Queen's funeral - In Versailles you might find the Duke of Braganza, the Count and Countess of Paris and the Dowager Duchess of Aosta with her daughters. In Lisbon, just the Count of Paris.
https://monarquiaportuguesa.blogs.sapo.pt/video-do-funeral-da-rainha-d-amelia-em-308748
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