She had a tragic life indeed.

She was born in England where the Orléans were living in exile.
Then she was "pushed" to marry Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, having visited Vienna to make the acquaintance of her prospective fiancée.
The matchmaker had been her aunt Clémentine d'Orléans, duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.
For some reason, possibly influenced by the German Emperor who did not see the alliance with any interest, Kaiser Franz Josef did not show any enthusiasm with the engagement either and Franz Ferdinand had orders to stay out of Vienna during the Princess's visit.
Should she had marry FF, she might have the same destiny of Sophie Chotek.
At the time. Rudolf was still alive, and FF only third in line after him and his own father A-D. Karl Ludwig.
Marrying D.Carlos, she was marrying the heir to the crown.
So, the Portuguese marriage seemed a proper alliance with a long-term reigning dynasty, for the eldest daughter of the late King Louis-Philippe.

But such marriage seemed to be doomed.
The French Republic had revoked the Ban Law and the Orléans were allowed back in France.
For her daughter's engagement, her father, the Count of Paris, threw the most magnificent parties, acting as if he was the King of France.
Having seen the support and popularity the Count had among not just the upper class, aristocrats, but bankers and industrials, but also with middle class. the French Republic trembled and decided, better safe than sorrow, and a new Ban Law was issued against the Orléans.

The married life had its ups and downs.
After giving birth to Prince Luis-Felipe, D.Amélia became preagnant immediately.
But tragedy always followed her.
One night, in the Ducal Palace of Vila Viçosa, the Prince's nanny fell asleep and tear down a candle.
The flame immediately propagate to the curtains and linen of the nursery and the nanny cried for help.
D.Amélia ran to the nursery, to save her son, but the run, the excitement and the prospect of losing her son, led to the miscarriage of a baby princess who was baptized in a hurry and named Maria.

D.Amélia was very fond of her father-in-law, King D.Luis.
At the end of her preagnancy of D.Manuel, D.Luis died and the fact was hidden to her, not to cause any worries that might compromise a safe childbirth.
She was very sorrow not to be able of saying her farewell to D.Luis.

After the birth of "the heir and the spare", D.Carlos carried on his bachelor career as a womaniser and D.Amélia's ladies-in-waiting made sure the Queen knew of her husband's escapades, which caused her much distress.

D.Amélia also suffered with the unproper behaviour of her two brothers Philippe, duke d'Orléans and Ferdinand, duke of Montpensier.

Then in 1908, 1st of February, she had the brutal schock of watching the regicide of her husband and beloved son, for whom she had high hopes when time came for him to be King.

Two years later, she had to leave for exile when the Republic was installed.

She was very happy with D.Manuel's marriage although, like D.Carlos, she had hoped ,and campaigned, for an english bride near Q.Alexandra, after Edward VII death, but after the republic, that was unthinkable.
Soon she had the chagrin of realizing that D.Manuel would not have a successor and the line would die with him.

The tragic and unexpected death of D.Manuel caused another enormous grief.
She was appalled and never forgave her daughter-in-law, Mimi, for remarrying, above all, a lutheran and she refused to see her except when she was at her death bed.

In 1939, she watched her country (and her own house) being occupied by the German trooops.

She died in October 1951 and in January that year she had to endure the last great sorrow of loosing her next sister Hélène, duchess of Aosta .

Not a very happy life, indeed.