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 The aristocracy (''from Greek'' ''ἀριστοκρατία'' ''aristokratía'', "rule of the best"; ''Latin: aristocratia'') is historically associated with a "hereditary" or a "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the ...

. He is the head of the House of Alba, one of the most prominent families of the

Spanish nobility The Spanish nobility are people who possess a title of nobility confirmed by the Spanish Ministry of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Cortes, as well as those individuals appointed to one of Spain's three highest orders of knightho ...

Life and career

He was born in

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

and is the eldest son of

Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart, 18th Duchess of Alba María del Rosario Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart y Silva, 18th Duchess of Alba Grandee, 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 record now held ...

(28 March 1926 in Madrid – 20 November 2014 in

Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...

) and her first husband, (17 November 1919 in Madrid – 6 September 1972 in

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

), a younger son of the 9th Duke of Sotomayor. In 1951 (at the age of 2), he became the 14th Duke of Huéscar – a title which was ceded to him by his grandfather, Jacobo Fitz-James Stuart, 17th Duke of Alba and 13th Duke of Huéscar.''

Boletín Oficial del Estado The (''BOE''; "", from 1661 to 1936 known as the ''Gaceta de Madrid'', "") is the official gazette of the Spain, Kingdom of Spain and may be published on any day of the week. The content of the ''BOE'' is authorized and published by Royal Asse ...

''
no. 23, p. 304
23 January 1951. Retrieved 10 April 2010 He is a direct descendant of

James II of England James II and VII (14 October 1633 – 16 September 1701) was King of England and Monarchy of Ireland, Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II of England, Charles II, on 6 February 1 ...

. He obtained a degree in law at the

Complutense University of Madrid The Complutense University of Madrid (, UCM; ) is a public research university located in Madrid. Founded in Alcalá in 1293 (before relocating to Madrid in 1836), it is one of the oldest operating universities in the world, and one of Spain's ...

and now works as an adviser for several cultural institutions, such as the Hispania Nostra Foundation, the Valencia de Don Juan Institute, and the

Hispanic Society of America The term Hispanic () are people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an ethnic or meta-ethnic term. The term commonly appl ...

. He is in charge of the House of Alba Foundation and, thus, in principle of a great deal of the significant House of Alba heritage and patrimony. He is also a Knight of the

Real Maestranza de Caballería de Sevilla The Real Maestranza de Caballería de Sevilla (Spanish language, Spanish for 'Royal Cavalry Armory of Seville') is a Spanish maestranza de caballería or chivalric order created in 1670 from the remnants of the preceding ''Cofradía de San Hermen ...

. Upon the death of his mother in 2014, he was first in line to succeed as 19th

Duke of Alba Duke of Alba de Tormes (), commonly known as Duke of Alba, is a title of Spanish nobility that is accompanied by the dignity of Grandee of Spain. In 1472, the title of ''Count of Alba de Tormes'', inherited by García Álvarez de Toledo, wa ...

(and

Grandee of Spain Grandee (; , ) is an official royal and noble ranks, 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 ha ...

) and also to inherit 38 other titles (10 of them with a Grandeeship of Spain). The succession to most of the titles was officially confirmed in 2015 except for the Lordship (''Señorío'') of Moguer and the County of Modica that have been inherited traditionally. Later in 2015, he ceded two titles – Duke of Huéscar to his elder son and

heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...

Fernando,''

''
no. 282, p. 49354
25 November 2015. Retrieved 20 December 2015 and Count of Osorno to his younger son Carlos.''

''
no. 282, p. 49353
25 November 2015. Retrieved 20 December 2015

Family

On 13 June 1988, he married Matilde de Solís-Beaumont y Martínez de Campos in the

Seville Cathedral The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See (), better known as Seville Cathedral (), is a Catholic cathedral and former mosque in Seville, Andalusia, Spain. It was registered in 1987 by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, along with the adjoining Alc� ...

. She is the daughter of Fernando de Solís y Atienza, 10th Marquess of la Motilla, and his wife Isabel Martínez de Campos Rodríguez, daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Seo de Urgel. The couple had two sons before their marriage was annulled in 2004: * Fernando Fitz-James Stuart y de Solís, 17th Duke of Huéscar, Grandee of Spain (born 14 September 1990). ** Rosario Fitz-James Stuart y Palazuelo (8 September 2020) ** Sofía Fitz-James Stuart y Palazuelo (10 January 2023) * Carlos Fitz-James Stuart y de Solís, 22nd Count of Osorno, Grandee of Spain (born 29 November 1991). ** Carlos Fitz-James Stuart y Corsini (4 March 2024) Subsequently, between 2004 and 2006, he maintained a friendly relationship with Alicia Koplowitz, 7th Marchioness of Bellavista, a Spanish businesswoman who ranked as Spain's richest woman in the ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

World's Richest People'' list.

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles

;Dukedoms * 19th Duke of Alba,

* 12th Duke of Berwick, Grandee of Spain * 16th Duke of Huéscar, Grandee of Spain - ceded to his son Don Fernando * 12th Duke of Liria and Jérica, Grandee of Spain ;Count-Dukedoms * 13th Count-Duke of Olivares, Grandee of Spain ;Marquessates * 17th Marquess of Carpio, Grandee of Spain *17th Marquess of La Algaba *19th Marquess of Barcarrota *11th Marquess of Castañeda *24th Marquess of Coria *15th Marquess of Eliche *17th Marquess of Mirallo *21st Marquess of la Mota *21st Marquess of Moya *13th Marquess of Osera *15th Marquess of San Leonardo *20th Marquess of Sarria *13th Marquess of Tarazona *16th Marquess of Valdunquillo *19th Marquess of Villanueva del Fresno *18th Marquess of Villanueva del Río ;Countships *23rd Count of Lemos, Grandee of Spain * 21st Count of Lerín, Grandee of Spain, Constable of Navarre *21st Count of Miranda del Castañar, Grandee of Spain *17th Count of Monterrey, Grandee of Spain * 21st Count of Osorno, Grandee of Spain - ceded to his son Don Carlos *20th Count of Andrade *15th Count of Ayala *17th Count of Casarrubios del Monte *17th Count of Fuentes de Valdepero *12th Count of Fuentidueña *18th Count of Galve *19th Count of Gelves * 22nd Count of Modica (

Kingdom of Sicily The Kingdom of Sicily (; ; ) was a state that existed in Sicily and the southern Italian peninsula, Italian Peninsula as well as, for a time, in Kingdom of Africa, Northern Africa, from its founding by Roger II of Sicily in 1130 until 1816. It was ...

) *26th Count of San Esteban de Gormaz *13th Count of Santa Cruz de la Sierra *21st Count of Villalba ;Viscountcies *13th Viscount of la Calzada ;Lordship *30th Lord of Moguer

Honours

Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic * ESP Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George Justicia BAR

Knight Grand Cross of Justice of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George. Vice Grand Prefect (1970–1990). * IT TSic Order Santo Gennaro BAR

Knight of the Illustrious Royal Order of Saint Januarius.Membership of the Illustrious Royal Order of Saint Januarius
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Arms

Notes

References

External links