The exile was the result of the Portuguese law of banishment of 1834 and the constitution of 1838 which was brought about because in 1828 his grandfather Miguel usurped the throne of Portugal from his niece Queen Maria II.

Because it could not be determined whether it was an accident or intentional Miguel escaped a court martial but he was forced to give up his commission in the Army and leave the country.

[1] After her parents divorced in August 1906, her mother married the millionaire James Henry Smith,[5] then the socialite Jean de Saint-Cyr on April 25, 1915.

[14] In 1911-1912 Miguel took part in the monarchist uprisings in Portugal led by Henrique Mitchell de Paiva Couceiro, in an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the First Portuguese Republic.

[16] Miguel later found work in London where he was employed as a Broker's clerk for the city firm Basil Montgomery, Fitzgerald and co.[12] After originally being forced to resign from the Army, he returned to serve in the German automobile corps during the First World War reaching the rank of Captain.

[1] His father also renounced his rights ten days later which resulted in the Miguelist claim passing to his younger half brother Duarte Nuno.