Short Biography

"I Am Therefore I Serve"

Motto by H.R.H. Prince Alfredo of Hawai'i

H.R.H. Prince of Hawai'i, with the civil registration name Alfredo Maria Côrte-Real Souto Neves (Alfredo Maria Pignatelli Cardoso Moniz Pereira de Castro Côrte-Real Souto Neves) was born in Portugal, in the city of Coimbra, in 1968, but from an early age moved to Porto, in Foz do Douro. He lived there until he went to live at the Monastery of S. Salvador, in Barcelos, where he lived until he moved to the District of Aveiro in 2021. Since 2023, H.R.H. Prince Alfredo shares his time between Portugal and Hawai'i, in addition to all the traveling that his work and duties require.

Prince Alfredo has roots in the Traditional and Founding Families of Portugal, specifically the Kings of the 1st Dynasty, the 1st King D. Afonso Henriques and D. Egas Moniz, tutor of the 1st King of Portugal. As such, he also descends from many kings of surrounding countries and their alliances through marriages that gave birth to the most diverse European royal houses. His family has stood out over the centuries, both in preserving the National Identity established by D. Egas Moniz and D. Afonso Henriques. One of his ancestors also stood out during the siege of Lisbon and his conquest, his name was Martim Moniz. Among his ancestors were some of the Knights known to the "Twelve of England", among whom we highlight Vasco Annes da Costa. Many more followed, for example, the Discoveries of the Era of Exploration with various Navigators such as those of the Côrte-Real dynastic family and Nicolau Coelho, and in the French Invasions with General and Baron of Palme José Cardoso Moniz until the end of the Monarchy with José Luciano de Castro (Côrte-Real), Par do Reino and Head of Government, among many others. To this day, the boldest members of the high noble Côrte-Real dynastic family have played major roles, both in the history of Portugal, and in human and social terms.

His Father, a former Cavalry Officer who fought in the African War, and his Mother, devoted much of their lives to serving those most in need, and together were coordinators of a disability support institution in third world countries. Through their proactivity they were invited to a particular audience by the Holy Father John Paul II. His father also played a role in opposing the communist regime that sought to install itself during the 25 April revolution in Portugal, standing alongside names such as General António de Spínola, who went on to become President of the Republic, and Commander Guilherme Almor de Alpoim Calvão, hero of the Overseas War in the Portuguese Overseas Provinces.

Since his birth, Prince Alfredo has created an umbilical connection with Barcelos, where he has lived in the Monastery of S. Salvador since 1999, and has been developing an intense cultural activity, especially in the promotion and dissemination of history and heritage to the Municipality of Barcelos and its people. Also in other places, such as Viana do Castelo, Braga, Porto and Lisbon, he has been promoting cultural and educational programs. He has also taken Portuguese history and culture abroad, promoting various ventures in other countries.

Manager by profession, he is the Director of the D. João VI Institute, Director of the Council of Dynastic Orders of Portugal, President of AMT - Traditionalist Monarchist Action, Governor of a European Nobility Institution, Member of the Honor Committee of APTCE - Pro Tradition Association and European Culture, representative of the "Urgences Patrimoine" for Portugal and based in France, was Vice-President of the Whippet Clube de Portugal, has activities in the agricultural sector. He is also a member of the jury of several international film festivals and a writer, with a medley of published works.

H.R.H. Prince Alfredo served as the Officer-In-Chief of the Royal House of Hawai'i - Ka Hale Ali'i O Hoapili Baker from 2020 to 2023. Later, H.R.H. Prince George I'i Baker recognized Alfredo Côrte-Real with the title and treatment of Prince in recognition of his years of devoted work and results on behalf of the Royal House of Hawai'i - Ka Hale Ali'i O Hoapili Baker. This gesture was similar to the one King Kalakaua made when he elevated his wife Kapiʻolani's blood nephews to the rank of princes.

Prince Alfredo is a Knight of the Hawaiian Orders as Knight Grand Cross with collar of The Royal Order of Kamehameha I (Royal House of Hawaii), Knight Grand Cross with collar of The Royal Order of Kalakaua I (Royal House of Hawaii), Knight Grand Cross with collar of The Royal Order of Kapi'olani (Royal House of Hawaii), Knight Grand Cross with collar of The Royal Order of the Crown of Hawaii (Royal House of Hawaii), Knight Grand Cross with collar of The Royal Order of the Star of Oceania (Royal House of Hawaii) and also various Portuguese Orders, most notably The ROT - The Royal Order of the Knight Grand Cross with collar , Knight Grand Cross of the Military Order of S. Sebastião Dita da Frecha, The Order of Saint Michael of The Wing, Knight Grand Cross of The Dynastic Order of Saint Nuno of Santa Maria and a Knight of several foreign Orders such as the Constantinian Order of St. George (Gold Plate), Knight Commander with Great Cross with collar of Orden de Sacer (Spain - Ciudad Real) among others.

From March 25, 2020, he is the Grand Master of Lugartenencia in Portugal of the Orden del Sacer.

He is the Governor of the Royal Brotherhood of Santa Beatriz da Silva, Member of the Royal Brotherhood of the Lord of Passos e da Graça, Member of the Royal Brotherhood of the Lord Bom Jesus da Cruz, Member of the Universal Archicofradia of the Apostle Santiago (Santiago de Compostela Cathedral), Member of Honor and Merit of the Commission of S. Sebastião de Matosinhos, Highest Member of Honor of the Royal Association of Green Beret Paratroopers with the Highest Gold Medal, Order of the Frecha Gold Medal of Merit, Héroe Tadeusz Kosciuszki Historical Foundation Merit Medal (Poland), Grand Cross of Human Rights and Police and Military Intervention (Spain), and is an Honorary Member of the Santiago de Chile Education and Social Service Corporation, ...

Prince Alfredo has a degree in Agricultural Management and has taken the Military Course of the School of Practice Services and Transport. He also has a degree from Oxford University. He is an Academic member of ALA - Academy of Letters and Arts, based in Cascais. He has also been awarded a Doctorate "Honoris causa" in European History from the Independent Venezuelan University. He also holds an Honorary Doctorate in History from the University of Mexico. other scholastic honors and pursuits.

Prince Alfredo has collaborated and promoted some activities in the field of history, culture and traditions, particularly in Barcelos, namely with a local school which won several first place awards, both nationally and internationally. He conceptualized, idealized, promoted and collaborated in cultural events such as "D. Sebastião, Royal and Popular Devotion", "Commemoration of the 200th Anniversary of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarve", "S. Sebastião de Darque", "Santa Beatriz da Silva" and many conferences, among others.

In 2014 Prince Alfredo was a lecturer at the Symposium "Wine, Cultural Heritage and Wine Tourism", incorporated into the celebrations of the festival called Barcelos Wine City. Barcelos is a city known for its wine with producers whose legacies are more than 500 years old.

He gave several conferences on the heritage and context of S. Sebastião in Barcelos. He supported and collaborated on the 3rd Meeting With Writers organized by AECODE, called 3rd Meeting with Writers of Lusophone, whose participants are writers from the Lusophone countries.

From 2017 to 2019, Prince Alfredo supported and collaborated with the academic project of the University of Porto on the short film "The Legend of the Rooster", a folktale which emerged in the Middle Ages centering around the Pilgrimmage route to Santiago de Compostela of antiquity. The project consisted of the pre-production and production of a short film called "The Legend of the Rooster" and which is the final work of several Master theses of the prestigious University. This short period film was the first to be made in academic terms in Portugal. The film has recently been nominated for prestigious awards of the Portuguese Film Academy - Sophia Awards, and has received some international awards.

Prince Alfredo was also the promoter of the candidacy of "A LENDA DO GALO", directed by Carlos Araujo, to the national contest "7 Wonders of Portugal", in the "LEGENDS AND MYTHS" category, in March 2020. The Legend of the Rooster, reports the Legend of a Pilgrim who, when passing through Barcelos, is accused of a crime he did not commit and is saved from the gallows by a roasted rooster that miraculously crowed at the right moment. This singular legend stands out in a country rich in legends and stories, Portugal, simply because it is the only one that gave rise to a national symbol universally recognized in the four corners of the world: the Rooster of Barcelos.

In sport, among several races, Prince Alfredo organized a race to count for the European TREC Championship in Baião, where he involved COMURB - Comunidade Urbana do Alto Tâmega. He competed at High Competition in the Precision Shooting category, and during the following years that he entered the tournament, he always won 1st place, resulting in being National Champion of precision shooting for consecutive years. Besides writing, his hobbies are drawing and painting. Prince Alfredo regularly conditions with horse riding, and also pursues canoeing, motoring and trekking in the wilderness.

Prince Alfredo has dedicated part of his life to noble causes such as assistance to those most in need, and volunteering to provide free hippotherapy classes for disabled people. He has sustained his volunteer service for people with disabilities for an enjoyable longevity of more than forty years.

For more than twenty years, Prince Alfredo has been promoting and breeding an endangered horse species called Garranos.

In 2021, concerned about an indigenous breed of cattle, the Raça Marinhoa, which is at high risk of extinction, and being the only large breed in the region of Aveiro and Baixo Mondego (Coimbra), he created the Confraria da Raça Marinhoa with the aim of raising awareness of this breed, promoting its historical research and publicising it.

Since 2022 he has been a member of the International Jury of the Finisterra Arrábida Film Art & Tourism Festival (Portugal e Brazil)

Also since the same year, he has been a History Consultant for a series being directed and produced in Hollywood by the prestigious director Jaswant Shrestha, who, in addition to being nominated numerous times, has already been honoured with Emmy awards. This documentary series called 'On A QUEST: With Jaswant - Exploring Portugal' has been nominated for the prestigious Emmy's in 2024.

In January 2024, at the invitation of the Fundão City Council, he took part in the First Days of the Martyr S. Sebastião, where he gave a lecture on the Military Order of S. Sebastião Dita da Frecha.

In March 2024, Prince Alfredo of Hawai'i started yet another charity project - THE SACER GALA. This Gala, organised by the Order of Sacer in partnership with PRAVE and with the support of the City Council among other entities, aims to generate funds to be given to social and non-profit institutions. These galas are held annually, with the funds raised designated to a different charity each year.

At the official celebrations of the first day of the Kamehameha I Day Festival, Ley-Draping ceremony (Royal Tribute Ceremony) in Ohau, Honolulu, has been present in the exclusive VIP tent of the Governor of Hawai'i, Josh Green.

The following day, on the day of the Kamehameha Parade, he participates with The Hoapili Baker Foundation in the parade. These events are broadcast live on television and in the news.

In July 2024, the TT.RR.HH. were officially invited and honoured, for the first time in Mexican history, with the 'Baston de Mando' by the Pluricultural Indigenous Government of Mexico. This was the first time that this honour had been awarded to someone not indigenous to Mexico.

In September 2024 he was officially invited as a Guest of Honour and member of the Jury at the Art & Travel International Film Festival Georgia. In October of the same year he was officially invited as a Guest of Honour to the  IX International Tourism Film Festival in Turkey where, in Ephesus, he received an award of honour.. Both festivals, as Finisterra Festival belong to CINETUR Festival (the world's largest tourism film consortium).

In 2024, he became an Honorary Member of CINETOUR, the world's largest film consortium.

"Let's make sure that we don't have to tell our children that we have seen a world disappear without doing anything to stop it. Let's make sure that Nature and Heritage, Culture that we made ourselves who we are and led us so far, do not disappear, giving way to an inhuman and wild existence."

"What kind of man would I be if I did not seek to make this world a better world?"

A.C-R.

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