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 is historically associated with "hereditary" or "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the upper class of people (aristocrats) with hereditary rank and titles. In some, such as ancient Greece, ancient Ro ...

. He is the head of the

House of Alba The House of Alba de Tormes ( es, Casa de Alba de Tormes), commonly known as the House of Alba, is a prominent Spanish noble family that descended from 12th-century nobility of post-conquest Toledo. The family's claim to Alba de Tormes dates fr ...

, one of the most prominent families of the

Spanish nobility Spanish nobles are persons who possess the legal status of hereditary nobility according to the laws and traditions of the Spanish monarchy and historically also those who held personal nobility as bestowed by one of the three highest orders of ...

Life and career

He was born in

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 ...

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 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 ...

(28 March 1926 in Madrid – 20 November 2014 in

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 Peninsula ...

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

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

), a younger son of the 9th Duke of Sotomayor. In 1951 (at the age of 2), he became the 14th

Duke of Huéscar Duke of Huéscar ( es, Duque de Huéscar) is a hereditary title in the Peerage of Spain, accompanied by the dignity of Grandee and granted in 1563 by Philip II to María Josefa Pimentel, daughter of the Dukes of Benavente, as a gift for her we ...

– a title which was ceded to him by his grandfather,

Jacobo Fitz-James Stuart, 17th Duke of Alba Jacobo Fitz-James Stuart y Falcó, 17th Duke of Alba, 10th Duke of Berwick, GE (17 October 1878 – 24 September 1953) was a Spanish peer, diplomat, politician, art collector and Olympic medalist. A Jacobite, he was the most senior surviving ...

and 13th Duke of Huéscar.''

Boletín Oficial del Estado The ''Boletín Oficial del Estado'' (''BOE''; " en, Official State Gazette, label=none", from 1661 to 1936 known as the ''Gaceta de Madrid'', " en, Madrid Gazette, label=none") is the official gazette of the Spain, Kingdom of Spain and may be p ...

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

James II of England James VII and II (14 October 1633 16 September 1701) was King of England and King of Ireland as James II, and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685. He was deposed in the Gloriou ...

. He obtained a degree in law at the

Complutense University of Madrid The Complutense University of Madrid ( es, Universidad Complutense de Madrid; UCM, links=no, ''Universidad de Madrid'', ''Universidad Central de Madrid''; la, Universitas Complutensis Matritensis, links=no) is a public research university loc ...

and now works as an adviser for several cultural institutions, such as the Hispania Nostra Foundation, the

Valencia de Don Juan Valencia de Don Juan (; ''Coyanza'' in Leonese language) is a municipality located in the province of León, Castile and León, Spain. In 2013, the municipality had a population of 5,199. Originally, Valencia de Don Juan was named Comeniaca and C ...

Institute, and 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 ...

. 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 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 Hermenegildo'' (or ''He ...

. 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 ( es, Duque de 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 ...

(and

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 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 The County of Modica was a feudal territory within the Kingdom of Sicily from 1296 to 1812. Its capital was Modica, on the southern tip of the island, although the cities of Ragusa and Scicli housed some government offices for a period. Today i ...

that have been inherited traditionally. Later in 2015, he ceded two titles –

to his elder son and

heir apparent An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...

Fernando,''

''
no. 282, p. 49354
25 November 2015. Retrieved 20 December 2015 and

Count of Osorno Count of Osorno is a Spanish hereditary peerage which was granted on 31 August 1445 by John II of Castile to Gabriel Fernández Manrique, first Duke of Galisteo (1451), son of Garci Fernandez Manrique, first Count of Castañeda. On the death ...

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 ( es, Catedral de Santa María de la Sede), better known as Seville Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Seville, Andalusia, Spain. It was registered in 1987 by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, along ...

. 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 children before their marriage was annulled in 2004: * Fernando Fitz-James Stuart y de Solís, 17th

, Grandee of Spain (born 14 September 1990). * Carlos Fitz-James Stuart y de Solís, 22nd

, Grandee of Spain (born 29 November 1991). Subsequently, between 2004 and 2006, he maintained a friendly relationship with

Alicia Koplowitz, 7th Marchioness of Bellavista Alicia Koplowitz y Romero de Juseu, 7th Marchioness of Bellavista, GE (born 12 September 1954) is a Spanish business magnate and noblewoman. When her father died, she and her sister inherited Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas, S.A. (CYCSA), ...

, a Spanish businesswoman who ranked as Spain's richest woman in the ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

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 ( 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 ...

) *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

Styles

* 1948–1951: ''

The Most Excellent The Most Excellent (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Excelentísimo Señor'' (male) or ''Excelentísima Señora'' (female), literally "Most Excellent Sir/Madam") is an honorific prefix that is traditionally applied to certain people in Spain and certa ...

Don Don, don or DON and variants may refer to: Places *County Donegal, Ireland, Chapman code DON *Don (river), a river in European Russia *Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name *Don, Benin, a town in Benin *Don, Dang, a vill ...

Carlos Martínez de Irujo y Fitz-James Stuart * 1951–2014: ''The Most Excellent''

Carlos Martínez de Irujo y Fitz-James Stuart,

duke of Huéscar Duke of Huéscar ( es, Duque de Huéscar) is a hereditary title in the Peerage of Spain, accompanied by the dignity of Grandee and granted in 1563 by Philip II to María Josefa Pimentel, daughter of the Dukes of Benavente, as a gift for her we ...

, Grandee of Spain * 2014–present: ''The Most Excellent''

Carlos Martínez de Irujo y Fitz-James Stuart, duke of Alba de Tormes, Grandee of Spain

Honours

Knight Grand Cross of the 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

References

External links