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 record now held by

Princess Victoria of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, 20th Duchess of Medinaceli Princess Victoria Elisabeth of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, 20th Duchess of Medinaceli, GE (born 17 March 1997) is a Spanish noblewoman. Holding 43 officially recognised titles in the Spanish nobility, she is the most titled aristocrat in the world, a ...

Family

Born in Liria Palace 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 ...

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 eighth great-granddaughter of

James II and VII 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 ...

. Her godparents were Queen Victoria Eugenie and King Alfonso XIII of Spain.

Socialite

As a

socialite A socialite is a person, typically a woman from a wealthy or 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 ...

, the Duchess met famous VIPs from Spain and abroad.

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

visited her

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, ...

palace, as did

Wallis Simpson Wallis, Duchess of Windsor (born Bessie Wallis Warfield, later Spencer and then Simpson; June 19, 1896 – April 24, 1986) was an American socialite and the wife of Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor (former King Edward VIII). Their intentio ...

Princess Grace Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982), also known as Grace of Monaco, was an American actress and Princess of Monaco as the wife of Prince Rainier III from Wedding of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, and Grace Kelly, th ...

and

Rainier III, Prince of Monaco 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. Rainier was born at the Prince's Pal ...

Queen Anne-Marie of Greece Anne-Marie (; born Princess Anne-Marie Dagmar Ingrid of Denmark, 30 August 1946) is a Danish royal family, Danish princess who was Queen of Greece as the consort of Constantine II of Greece, King Constantine II from their marriage on 18 Sept ...

and King

Constantine II of Greece Constantine II (, ; 2 June 1940 – 10 January 2023) was the last King of Greece, reigning from 6 March 1964 until the abolition of the Greek monarchy on 1 June 1973. Constantine was born in Athens as the only son of Crown Prince Paul and ...

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

Dior Christian Dior SE (), commonly known as Dior, is a French Multinational corporation, multinational luxury goods company that is controlled and chaired by French businessman Bernard Arnault, who also heads LVMH. , Dior controlled around 42% of ...

show for charitable purposes in her Liria Palace, Madrid, a palace which movie stars

Charlton Heston Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter; October 4, 1923 – April 5, 2008) was an American actor. He gained stardom for his leading man roles in numerous Cinema of the United States, Hollywood films including biblical epics, science-fiction f ...

Sophia Loren Sofia Costanza Brigida Villani Scicolone (; born 20 September 1934), known professionally as Sophia Loren ( , ), is an Italian actress, active in her native country and the United States. With a career spanning over 70 years, she is one of the ...

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

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

Richard Avedon Richard Avedon (May 15, 1923 – October 1, 2004) was an American fashion and portrait photographer. He worked for ''Harper's Bazaar'', '' Vogue'' and '' Elle'' specializing in capturing movement in still pictures of fashion, theater and ...

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 costume designer and set designer for stage and screen. His accolades ...

and she appeared on the cover of ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' and ''

Harper's Bazaar ''Harper's Bazaar'' (stylized as ''Harper's BAZAAR'') is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. Bazaar has been published in New York City since November 2, 1867, originally as a weekly publication entitled ''Harper's Bazar''."Corporat ...

''. She was inducted into '' Vanity Fairs

International Best Dressed List The International Best Dressed Hall of Fame List was founded by fashionista Eleanor Lambert in 1940 as an attempt to boost the reputation of American fashion at the time. The American magazine '' Vanity Fair'' is currently in charge of the 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 of

Queen Victoria Eugenia of Spain Victoria Eugenie Julia Ena of Battenberg (24 October 1887 – 15 April 1969) was Queen of Spain as the wife of King Alfonso XIII from their marriage on 31 May 1906 until 14 April 1931, when the Spanish Second Republic was proclaimed. A Hess ...

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

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, 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'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' 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 th ...

(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) 18th Duchess of Alba

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 (, 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 equivalent to the Doctor o ...

and a former

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

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 ''b ...

, 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. Pu ...

business, 24 years her junior. It was reported objections came from her children and from King Juan Carlos. 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 Fra Angelico, O.P. (; ; born Guido di Pietro; 18 February 1455) was a Dominican friar and Italian Renaissance painter of the Early Renaissance, described by Giorgio Vasari in his ''Lives of the Artists'' as having "a rare and perfect talent" ...

Titian Tiziano Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), Latinized as Titianus, hence known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italian Renaissance painter, the most important artist of Renaissance Venetian painting. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, near Belluno. Ti ...

and

Goya Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; ; 30 March 1746 – 16 April 1828) was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker. He is considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His paintings, drawings, an ...

to Renoir and

Marc Chagall Marc Chagall (born Moishe Shagal; – 28 March 1985) was a Russian and French artist. An early modernism, modernist, he was associated with the School of Paris, École de Paris, as well as several major art movement, artistic styles and created ...

), a first-edition copy of

Cervantes Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra ( ; ; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 NS) was a Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-eminent novelists. He is best known for his no ...

's ''

Don Quixote , the full title being ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'', is a Spanish novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts in 1605 and 1615, the novel is considered a founding work of Western literature and is of ...

'', letters written by

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus (; between 25 August and 31 October 1451 – 20 May 1506) was an Italians, Italian explorer and navigator from the Republic of Genoa who completed Voyages of Christopher Columbus, four Spanish-based voyages across the At ...

, 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

, where the Duchess, whose passions included

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

, performed a short dance for the spectators.

Death

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, 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 The monarchy of Spain or Spanish monarchy () is the constitutional form of government of Spain. It consists of a Hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarch who reigns as the head of state, being the highest office of the country. The Spanish ...

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. Juan José Asenjo and Curro Romero, and Mariano Rajoy, Spain's prime minister, also formally paid their respects. Her funeral was held at

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� ...

by Carlos Amigo Vallejo, where the Royal Family was represented by the Infanta Elena.

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Styles

*28 March 1926 - 11 January 1935 : ''The Most Excellent'' Doña Maria del Rosario Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart y Silva *11 January 1935 - 28 January 1947 : ''The Most Excellent'' The Duchess of Aliaga *28 January 1947 - 18 February 1955 : ''The Most Excellent'' The Duchess of Montoro *18 February 1955 - 20 November 2014 : ''The Most Excellent'' The Duchess of Alba

Titles

As head of the dynasty, Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart was styled by her most senior title of "Duchess of Alba", while having held over 50 other hereditary

titles A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify their generation, official position, military rank, professional or academic qualification, or nobility. In some languages, titles may be ins ...

during her lifetime. She was 14 times a

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 ...

. 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 British reference book published annually, list ...

'', she was the most titled aristocrat in the world. ;Dukedoms * 18th Duchess of Alba,

* 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 Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they ...

, Grandee of Spain -Ceded to her daughter Doña Eugenia ;Count-dukedoms * 12th Countess-Duchess of Olivares, Grandee of Spain ;Marquessates * 17th Marchioness of 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 (; ; ) 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 ...

) *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

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 Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used fo ...

of Castilla-La Mancha * :

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

of Aragon * Llíria: Honorary Mayor of Llíria * : Knight of the Royal Cavalry Armory of Seville * : Honorary President of the

Spanish Red Cross The Spanish Red Cross is the national affiliate of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and a nonprofit humanitarian institution in Spain. It was founded by Royal Order by Isabel II in the wake of the Third Carlist War. Referen ...

* : Honorary President of the Spanish National Orchestra * : Honorary President of the

Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando The Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando (RABASF; ), located on the Calle de Alcalá in the centre of Madrid, currently functions as a museum and gallery. A public law corporation, it is integrated together with other Spanish royal aca ...

;Foreign honorary appointments * : Member of 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 ...

* : Member of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) 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, and other ...

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 publis ...

by Marcus Williamson {{DEFAULTSORT:Fitz-James Stuart, Cayetana 1926 births 2014 deaths Grandees of Spain Spanish duchesses Marquesses of Spain Spanish countesses Countesses in Italy Viscounts of Spain Lords in Spain 20th-century Spanish nobility Nobility from Madrid Cayetana Dukes of Almazan Berwick, Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart, Duchess of Dukes of Híjar 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