Brazil receives embalmed heart of Portuguese king to mark independence

The urn with the heart of Portuguese monarch Dom Pedro I, who declared Brazil's independence from Portugal 200 years ago and was named Emperor of Brazil, arrives for a welcome ceremony at the Planalto Palace, in Brasilia, Brazil August 23, 2022. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino

BRASILIA (Reuters) - The embalmed heart of the Portuguese monarch who declared the independence of Brazil from Portugal 200 years ago was received with the military honors of a head of state in Brasilia on Tuesday at the start of bicentenary celebrations.

The heart, kept in formaldehyde in a glass jar inside a gold urn, arrived at the presidential palace in an open Rolls Royce flanked by a mounted color guard and was received by President Jair Bolsonaro with a gun salute. Air Force planes flew past.