[1] After her mother's death in 1853, when Maria Anna was just ten-years-old, she became the leading lady of the court, until her eldest brother, Pedro V of Portugal, married Princess Stephanie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen in May 1858.

Although in the early stages of their acquaintance the two sisters-in-law had a good relationship, in a letter written in 1859 to Albert, Prince Consort, when Stephanie was already dead, King Pedro mentions that his sister made unflattering comments regarding his wife "because of her feminine vanity caused by a lower status (...)".

During their short stay in Portugal after the ceremony, Prince George left a poor impression with the Portuguese royal family, as he "barely talked to the bride" and did not attend a theatre performance to which he had been invited.

"[4] The marriage was not a happy one, according to Historian Eduardo Nobre who claims that the Prince "did not live up to the expectations and qualities of the Portuguese Infanta".

However, this hypothesis was completely put aside when her brother King Luís I married Princess Maria Pia of Savoy and had two sons, the future Carlos I and Infante Afonso.

Her husband's elder brother Albert succeeded her father-in-law as King of Saxony and gradually it became clear that he and his wife, Carola of Vasa, were not able to have children of their own.