María del Rosario Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart y Silva, 18th Duchess of Alba GE (28 March 1926 – 20 November 2014) was one of the most senior aristocrats in Spain, as well as the most titled aristocrat in the world, a distinction now held by the Princess Victoria of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, 20th Duchess of Medinaceli.

Family

Born in

Liria Palace The Liria Palace ( Spanish: ''Palacio de Liria'') is a neoclassical palace in Madrid, Spain. It is the Madrid residence of the Dukes of Alba. History Built around 1770 to a design by the architect Ventura Rodríguez, it was commissioned by Ja ...

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

on 28 March 1926, Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart was the only child of the 17th Duke of Alba (a prominent Spanish politician and diplomat during the 1930s and 1940s) and his wife, María del Rosario de Silva y Gurtubay, 9th Marchioness of San Vicente del Barco. She was the eight-greats granddaughter of James II. Her godmother was Queen Victoria Eugenie, the wife of King

Alfonso XIII of Spain Alfonso XIII (17 May 1886 – 28 February 1941), also known as El Africano or the African, was King of Spain from 17 May 1886 to 14 April 1931, when the Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed. He was a monarch from birth as his father, Alf ...

Socialite

As a

socialite A socialite is a person from a wealthy and (possibly) aristocratic background, who is prominent in high society. A socialite generally spends a significant amount of time attending various fashionable social gatherings, instead of having tradit ...

, the Duchess met famous VIPs from Spain and abroad.

Jackie Kennedy Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis ( ; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American socialite, writer, photographer, and book editor who served as first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A po ...

visited her

Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Penins ...

palace, as did

Wallis Simpson Wallis, Duchess of Windsor (born Bessie Wallis Warfield, later Simpson; June 19, 1896 – April 24, 1986), was an American socialite and wife of the former King Edward VIII. Their intention to marry and her status as a divorcée caused a ...

Grace Kelly Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982) was an American actress who, after starring in several significant films in the early to mid-1950s, became Princess of Monaco by marrying Prince Rainier III in April 1956. Kelly ...

and

Prince Rainier III Rainier III (Rainier Louis Henri Maxence Bertrand Grimaldi; 31 May 1923 – 6 April 2005) was Prince of Monaco from 1949 to his death in 2005. Rainier ruled the Principality of Monaco for almost 56 years, making him one of the longest-ruling m ...

Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...

. In 1959, the Duchess, together with designer Yves Saint Laurent, hosted a

Dior Christian Dior SE (), commonly known as Dior (stylized DIOR), is a French luxury fashion house controlled and chaired by French businessman Bernard Arnault, who also heads LVMH, the world's largest luxury group. Dior itself holds 42.36% shar ...

show for charitable purposes in her

, Madrid, a palace which movie stars

Charlton Heston Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter; October 4, 1923April 5, 2008) was an American actor and political activist. As a Hollywood star, he appeared in almost 100 films over the course of 60 years. He played Moses in the epic film ''The Ten ...

Sophia Loren Sofia Costanza Brigida Villani Scicolone (; born 20 September 1934), known professionally as Sophia Loren ( , ), is an Italian actress. She was named by the American Film Institute as one of the greatest female stars of Classical Hollywood ci ...

Audrey Hepburn Audrey Hepburn (born Audrey Kathleen Ruston; 4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993) was a British actress and humanitarian. Recognised as both a film and fashion icon, she was ranked by the American Film Institute as the third-greatest female screen ...

and Raf Vallone visited. In her youth the Duchess posed for Richard Avedon and

Cecil Beaton Sir Cecil Walter Hardy Beaton, (14 January 1904 – 18 January 1980) was a British fashion, portrait and war photographer, diarist, painter, and interior designer, as well as an Oscar–winning stage and costume designer for films and the t ...

and she appeared on the cover of ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...

'' and ''

Harper's Bazaar ''Harper's Bazaar'' is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. It was first published in New York City on November 2, 1867, as the weekly ''Harper's Bazar''. ''Harper's Bazaar'' is published by Hearst and considers itself to be the ...

''. She was inducted into ''

Vanity Fair Vanity Fair may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Literature * Vanity Fair, a location in '' The Pilgrim's Progress'' (1678), by John Bunyan * ''Vanity Fair'' (novel), 1848, by William Makepeace Thackeray * ''Vanity Fair'' (magazines), the ...

s International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 2011.

Marriages

On 12 October 1947, the Duchess married ''Don'' Luis Martínez de Irujo y Artázcoz (1919–1972), younger son of the Duke of Sotomayor and his wife Ana María de Artázcoz y Labayen (1892–1930),

court lady ''Court Lady'' () is a 2021 Chinese television series produced by Yu Zheng, starring Xu Kai and Li Yitong. Once renowned as Chang’an’s number one hedonist, Sheng Chumu could barely ride on a horse without falling off. Now, he has fallen hea ...

Queen Victoria Eugenia of Spain Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

. The wedding in Spain, two years after the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, resisted the decline in frequency of very extravagant European weddings among high nobility and attracted the attention of the international media. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' called it "the most expensive wedding of the world." It was reported that 20 million pesetas (equivalent to $10,000,000 rounded in 2015) was spent. Six children were born of this marriage: *

Carlos Fitz-James Stuart, 19th Duke of Alba Carlos Fitz-James Stuart y Martínez de Irujo, 19th Duke of Alba, GE (''né'' Martínez de Irujo y Fitz-James Stuart; born 2 October 1948), is a Spanish aristocrat. He is the head of the House of Alba, one of the most prominent families of the ...

(born 2 October 1948,

) * Alfonso Martínez de Irujo y Fitz-James Stuart, 18th Duke of Híjar (born 22 October 1950, Madrid) * Jacobo Fitz-James Stuart y Martínez de Irujo, 23rd Count of Siruela (born 15 July 1954, Madrid) * Fernando Martínez de Irujo y Fitz-James Stuart, 11th Marquis of San Vicente del Barco (born 11 July 1959) * Cayetano Martínez de Irujo y Fitz-James Stuart, 4th Duke of Arjona, 13th Count of Salvatierra (born 4 April 1963, Madrid) * Eugenia Martínez de Irujo, 12th Duchess of Montoro (born 26 November 1968) Dona-Maria-del-Rosario-Cayetana-Fitz-James-Stuart-y-de-Silva-352039306840

Dona-Maria-del-Rosario-Cayetana-Fitz-James-Stuart-y-de-Silva-352039306840

Widowed in 1972, the Duchess remarried first on 16 March 1978 Jesús Aguirre y Ortiz de Zárate (1934–2001), a

Doctor of Theology Doctor of Theology ( la, Doctor Theologiae, abbreviated DTh, ThD, DTheol, or Dr. theol.) is a terminal degree in the academic discipline of theology. The ThD, like the ecclesiastical Doctor of Sacred Theology, is an advanced research degree equiv ...

and a former

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

priest. The wedding caused shock; Aguirre was

illegitimate Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as '' ...

, which carried a stigma among the wealthy and devout in 1970s Spain. Eight years younger than the Duchess, he maintained a good relationship with her children. During their marriage he administered, with his stepson Carlos, the Alba estates. Aguirre died in 2001. The re-widowed Duchess expressed her wish to marry Alfonso Díez Carabantes in the 2000s, a civil servant who separately had a

public relations Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. ...

business, 24 years her junior. It was reported objections came from her children and from

King Juan Carlos King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the ti ...

. The House of Alba in 2008 issued a statement saying that the relationship "was based on a long friendship and there are no plans to marry". The duchess decided to proceed and gave her children their inheritance which included majestic palaces in Spain, paintings by old and modern masters (from Fra Angelico,

Titian Tiziano Vecelli or Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italians, Italian (Republic of Venice, Venetian) painter of the Renaissance, considered the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school (art), ...

and Goya to Renoir and

Marc Chagall Marc Chagall; russian: link=no, Марк Заха́рович Шага́л ; be, Марк Захаравіч Шагал . (born Moishe Shagal; 28 March 1985) was a Russian-French artist. An early modernism, modernist, he was associated with se ...

), a first-edition copy of

Cervantes Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 Old Style and New Style dates, NS) was an Early Modern Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-emin ...

's ''

Don Quixote is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of West ...

'', letters written by

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...

, and substantial land; her wealth was estimated at between €600 million and €3.5 billion. Díez formally renounced any claim to her wealth. They married on 5 October 2011 at the Palacio de las Dueñas in

. The Duchess, whose passions included

flamenco Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura a ...

, performed a quick few steps of the dance in front of the crowds that had gathered outside the palace on the day of the wedding.

Death

Monumento a la Duquesa de Alba, Sevilla 2

The Duchess died in the Palacio de las Dueñas on 20 November 2014, at the age of 88. She was succeeded by her son

Carlos Fitz-James Stuart, 14th Duke of Huéscar Carlos Fitz-James Stuart y Martínez de Irujo, 19th Duke of Alba, GE (''né'' Martínez de Irujo y Fitz-James Stuart; born 2 October 1948), is a Spanish aristocrat. He is the head of the House of Alba, one of the most prominent families of the ...

, who thus became the 19th Duke of Alba. At the time of her death, her net worth was estimated to be $5 billion. The Duchess' body was laid in repose at the Town Hall, where thousands of civilians paid their last respects. Pictures of the Duchess with her family were placed at her coffin. The

King of Spain , coatofarms = File:Coat_of_Arms_of_Spanish_Monarch.svg , coatofarms_article = Coat of arms of the King of Spain , image = Felipe_VI_in_2020_(cropped).jpg , incumbent = Felipe VI , incumbentsince = 19 Ju ...

telephoned her son to pay his respects and sent two flower crowns to Seville. The Lord Mayor said that the flags of the city would be lowered in mourning. Msgrs. Juan José Asenjo and Curro Romero, and Mr. Rajoy, Spain's prime minister, also formally paid their respects. Her funeral was held at Seville Cathedral by Msgr. Carlos Amigo Vallejo, where the Royal Family was represented by the Infanta Elena.

Titles, styles, honours and arms

As head of the dynasty, Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart was styled by her most senior title of "Duchess of Alba", whilst holding over 40 other hereditary

titles A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...

. According to ''

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

'', she was the most titled aristocrat in the world.

Titles

;Dukedoms * 18th Duchess of Alba,

Grandee of Spain Grandee (; es, Grande de España, ) is an official aristocratic title conferred on some Spanish nobility. Holders of this dignity enjoyed similar privileges to those of the peerage of France during the , though in neither country did they ...

* 15th Duchess of Aliaga, Grandee of Spain -Ceded to her son Don Alfonso *4th Duchess of Arjona, Grandee of Spain -Ceded to her son Don Cayetano * 11th Duchess of Berwick, Grandee of Spain *17th Duchess of Híjar, Grandee of Spain -Ceded to her son Don Alfonso * 11th Duchess of Liria and Jérica, Grandee of Spain *11th Duchess of Montoro, Grandee of Spain -Ceded to her daughter Doña Eugenia ;Count-dukedoms * 12th Countess-Duchess of Olivares, Grandee of Spain ;Marquessates *17th Marchioness of the Carpio, Grandee of Spain *10th Marchioness of San Vicente del Barco, Grandee of Spain -Ceded to her son Don Fernando *16th Marchioness of La Algaba *16th Marchioness of Almenara -Ceded to her son Don Alfonso *18th Marchioness of Barcarrota *10th Marchioness of Castañeda *23rd Marchioness of Coria *14th Marchioness of Eliche *16th Marchioness of Mirallo *20th Marchioness of la Mota *20th Marchioness of Moya *17th Marchioness of Orani -Ceded to her son Don Alfonso *12th Marchioness of Osera *14th Marchioness of San Leonardo *19th Marchioness of Sarria *12th Marchioness of Tarazona *15th Marchioness of Valdunquillo *18th Marchioness of Villanueva del Fresno *17th Marchioness of Villanueva del Río ;Countships *27th Countess of Aranda, Grandee of Spain -Ceded to her son Don Alfonso *22nd Countess of Lemos, Grandee of Spain *20th Countess of Lerín, Grandee of Spain, Constabless of Navarre *20th Countess of Miranda del Castañar, Grandee of Spain *16th Countess of Monterrey, Grandee of Spain *20th Countess of Osorno, Grandee of Spain *18th Countess of Palma del Río, Grandee of Spain -Ceded to her son Don Alfonso *12th Countess of Salvatierra, Grandee of Spain -Ceded to her son Don Cayetano *22nd Countess of Siruela, Grandee of Spain -Ceded to her son Don Jacobo *19th Countess of Andrade *14th Countess of Ayala *16th Countess of Casarrubios del Monte *16th Countess of Fuentes de Valdepero *11th Countess of Fuentidueña *17th Countess of Galve *18th Countess of Gelves *16th Countess of Guimerá -Ceded to her son Don Alfonso * 21st Countess of Modica (

Kingdom of Sicily The Kingdom of Sicily ( la, Regnum Siciliae; it, Regno di Sicilia; scn, Regnu di Sicilia) was a state that existed in the south of the Italian Peninsula and for a time the region of Ifriqiya from its founding by Roger II of Sicily in 1130 un ...

) *24th Countess of Ribadeo -Ceded to her son Don Alfonso *25th Countess of San Esteban de Gormaz *12th Countess of Santa Cruz de la Sierra *20th Countess of Villalba ;Viscountcies *12th Viscountess of la Calzada ;Lordships *29th Lady of Moguer

Honours

;National honours * : Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic * : Knight Grand Cross of the Civil Order of Alfonso X, the Wise * : Knight of the Royal and Military Order of Saint Hermenegild * : Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Alcántara * : Knight Grand Cross of the Civil Order of Charity * : Knight Grand Cross of the Civil Order of Agricultural Merit * Recipient of the Medal of Andalusia * : Recipient of the Medal of Concepción * : Recipient of the Medal of Línea * : Recipient of the Medal of The Community of Madrid * : Former Grand Master Recipient of the Medal of The Spanish Red Cross * : Recipient of the Medal of Suffering for the Motherland ;Foreign honours * Greek royal family: Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Beneficence * House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies Dame Grand Cross of Justice of the Calabrian Two Sicilian Order of Saint George * : Wisteria Dame of the Order of the Precious Crown, 4th Class

Honorary appointments

;National honorary appointments * :

Marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated o ...

of Castilla-La Mancha * :

Constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...

of Aragon *

Llíria Llíria (; es, Liria) is a medium-sized town off the CV35 motorway to the north of Valencia, Spain. Known as ''Edeta'' in ancient Iberian times, it is the musical capital of the region. On October 30, 2019, Llíria was declared a Creative City ...

: Honorary Mayor of Llíria * : Knight of the Royal Cavalry Armory of Seville * : Honorary President of the Spanish Red Cross * : Honorary President of the Spanish National Orchestra * : Honorary President of the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando ;Foreign honorary appointments * : Member of the

Hispanic Society of America The Hispanic Society of America operates a museum and reference library for the study of the arts and cultures of Spain and Portugal and their former colonies in Latin America, the Spanish East Indies, and Portuguese India. Despite the name, i ...

* : Member of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, a ...

References

External links

House of Híjar

Euskomedia

The Late Duchess of Alba
audio clip of name.

in

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

by Marcus Williamson {{DEFAULTSORT:Fitz-James Stuart, Cayetana 1926 births 2014 deaths Grandees of Spain Spanish duchesses Marquesses of Spain Spanish countesses Italian countesses Viscounts of Spain Lords of Spain Spanish nobility Nobility from Madrid Cayetana Dukes of Almazan Berwick, Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart, Duchess of Dukes of Montoro Dukes of Olivares Cayetana Marquesses of Carpio Counts of Fuentes Counts of Galve Counts of Lemos Counts of Monterrey Counts of Osorno Counts of San Esteban de Gormaz Recipients of the Order of Isabella the Catholic Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic Recipients of the Civil Order of Alfonso X, the Wise Recipients of the Royal and Military Order of Saint Hermenegild Knights of the Order of Alcántara Grand Crosses of the Order of Beneficence (Greece) Order of the Precious Crown members Female billionaires Spanish billionaires Spanish socialites