Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart, 18th Duchess of Alba
Encyclopedia
Doña María del Rosario Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart y Silva, 18th Duchess of Alba de Tormes, Grandee of Spain (born 28 March 1926, Liria Palace
, Madrid
) is the current head of the House of Alba
and the third woman to carry the title
in her own right. The Duchess is a descendant of King James II of England, VII of Scotland
, through his illegitimate son James Fitz-James
, Duke of Berwick (1670–1734), born of a relationship with Arabella Churchill
, only sister of the Duke of Marlborough
, making her a distant relative of both Sir Winston Churchill
and Diana, Princess of Wales
, descendants of Arabella's daughter Henrietta FitzJames
. She entered Vanity Fair
's International Best-Dressed List
in 2009.
She was born at Liria Palace
on 28 March 1926, as the only child of the 17th Duke of Alba
(a prominent politician and diplomat during the 1930s and 1940s), by his wife, María del Rosario de Silva y Gurtubay, 9th Marquise of San Vicente del Barco. Her godmother was the Queen of Spain, Victoria Eugenia of Battenberg
.
The matriarch's supreme title is Duchess of Alba, but she has more than 40 others. According to Guinness World Records
, she has more titles recognized by an existing government than any other noble in the world.
(later Queen Elizabeth II), which was held a month later. The New York Times
called it "the most expensive wedding of the world." Rumor has it that 20 million pesetas were spent at that time. Six children were born of this marriage, all of whom have received titles of nobility with that of Grandee of Spain from their mother.
Cayetano re-married Genoveva Casanova y González (daughter of Kenneth Larry Casanova and his wife Mariana González y Reimann) in October 2005, after five years of relationship.
After becoming a widow, the Duchess remarried on 16 March 1978 to Jesús Aguirre y Ortiz de Zárate (1937–2001), a Doctor of Theology
and a former Jesuit priest. The wedding caused shock; Aguirre was illegitimate, which was scandalous in 1970s Spain. Eleven 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.
Details emerged in 2008 regarding the Duchess's intention to marry Alfonso Díez Carabantes, a civil servant who also runs a public relations
business, 24 years her junior. It was reported that there were objections from her children and from King Juan Carlos, and the House of Alba that year 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 with the marriage, overcoming her children's opposition by giving them their inheritance in advance, the duchess's fortune includes ancient palaces throughout Spain, paintings by the Spanish masters Velazquez
and Goya
, a first-edition copy of Cervantes
's Don Quixote, letters written by Christopher Columbus
, and huge stretches of land. Her wealth is estimated at between €600 million and €3.5 billion. Díez has formally renounced any claim to her wealth. They married on 5 October, 2011 at the Palacio de las Dueñas
in Seville
.
County-Duchy
Marquesates
Counties
Viscounties
Baronies
Manorials
Liria Palace
The Liria Palace or Palacio de Liria is a Neoclassical palace in Madrid, Spain. Built around 1770 by the Duke of Berwick on designs of Ventura Rodríguez, in the early 19th century it passed to the inheritance of the House of Alba. All but the facades were destroyed during the Spanish Civil War...
, Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
) is the current head of the House of Alba
House of Alba
The House of Alba is an important Spanish aristocratic family who derive from the 12th century Mozarab nobility of post-conquest Toledo. Their claim to Alba traces to 1429, when the first Álvarez de Toledo was made Lord of the City of Alba de Tormes...
and the third woman to carry the title
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
in her own right. The Duchess is a descendant of King James II of England, VII of Scotland
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
, through his illegitimate son James Fitz-James
James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick
James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick, 1st Duke of Fitz-James, 1st Duke of Liria and Jérica was an Anglo-French military leader, illegitimate son of King James II of England by Arabella Churchill, sister of the 1st Duke of Marlborough...
, Duke of Berwick (1670–1734), born of a relationship with Arabella Churchill
Arabella Churchill (royal mistress)
Arabella Churchill was the mistress of King James II, and the mother of four of his children...
, only sister of the Duke of Marlborough
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, Prince of Mindelheim, KG, PC , was an English soldier and statesman whose career spanned the reigns of five monarchs through the late 17th and early 18th centuries...
, making her a distant relative of both Sir Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
and Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
, descendants of Arabella's daughter Henrietta FitzJames
Henrietta FitzJames
Henrietta FitzJames , the Dowager Lady Waldegrave and titular Countess of Newcastle, was an illegitimate daughter of James Stuart, Duke of York, afterward James II, King of Great Britain, by his mistress, Arabella Churchill, herself sister of the Duke of Marlborough.Henrietta was sister to the...
. She entered Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
's International Best-Dressed List
International Best Dressed List
The International Best Dressed List was founded by fashionista Eleanor Lambert in 1940 as an attempt to boost the reputation of American fashion at the time.People who have been on the list include from A to Z:-The International Hall of Fame: Women:...
in 2009.
She was born at Liria Palace
Liria Palace
The Liria Palace or Palacio de Liria is a Neoclassical palace in Madrid, Spain. Built around 1770 by the Duke of Berwick on designs of Ventura Rodríguez, in the early 19th century it passed to the inheritance of the House of Alba. All but the facades were destroyed during the Spanish Civil War...
on 28 March 1926, as the only child of the 17th Duke of Alba
Jacobo Fitz-James Stuart, 17th Duke of Alba
Don Jacobo Fitz-James Stuart y Falcó, 17th Duke of Alba de Tormes, Grandee of Spain was a Spanish noble, diplomat, politician and art collector...
(a prominent politician and diplomat during the 1930s and 1940s), by his wife, María del Rosario de Silva y Gurtubay, 9th Marquise of San Vicente del Barco. Her godmother was the Queen of Spain, Victoria Eugenia of Battenberg
Victoria Eugenia of Battenberg
Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg was queen consort of King Alfonso XIII of Spain...
.
The matriarch's supreme title is Duchess of Alba, but she has more than 40 others. According to Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
, she has more titles recognized by an existing government than any other noble in the world.
Life and family
On 12 October 1947, the Duchess married Don Pedro Luis Martínez de Irujo y Artázcoz (1919–1972), son of the Duke of Sotomayor. The wedding was considered to be the last great feudal wedding in Spain and attracted the attention of the international media, even overshadowing interest shown in the wedding of The Princess Elizabeth of the United KingdomElizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
(later Queen Elizabeth II), which was held a month later. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
called it "the most expensive wedding of the world." Rumor has it that 20 million pesetas were spent at that time. Six children were born of this marriage, all of whom have received titles of nobility with that of Grandee of Spain from their mother.
- Carlos Fitz-James Stuart, 14th Duke of HuéscarCarlos Fitz-James Stuart, 14th Duke of HuéscarDon Carlos Fitz-James Stuart y Martínez de Irujo, 14th Duke of Huéscar, Grandee of Spain , is a Spanish aristocrat...
(born 2 October 1948, MadridMadridMadrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
). In 1988, he married Matilde Solís-Beaumont y Martínez de Campos, but they later divorced. Together they have two children:- Fernando Juan Fitz-James Stuart y Solís (born 14 September 1990 in Madrid)
- Carlos Arturo José María Fitz-James Stuart y Solís (born 29 November 1991 in Madrid)
- Alfonso Martínez de Irujo y Fitz-James Stuart, 16th Duke of Aliaga (born 22 October 1950, Madrid). On 4 July 1977 he married Princess María de la Santísima Trinidad de Hohenlohe-LangenburgHohenlohe-LangenburgHohenlohe-Langenburg was a German county of northeastern Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located around Langenburg. Hohenlohe-Neuenstein was partitioned into it, Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen and Hohenlohe-Kirchberg in 1701...
y de la Cuadra (born 8 April 1957), whom he later divorced. Together they have two children:- Luis Martínez de Irujo y Hohenlohe (born 26 May 1978)
- Javier Martínez de Irujo y Hohenlohe (born January 1981). He married sherrySherrySherry is a fortified wine made from white grapes that are grown near the town of Jerez , Spain. In Spanish, it is called vino de Jerez....
heiress Inés Domecq y Fernández-Govantes in 2008.
- Jacobo Martínez de Irujo y Fitz-James Stuart, 23rd Count of Siruela (born 15 July 1954, Madrid). On 1 November 1980, he married María Eugenia Fernández de Castro y Fernández-Shaw (born 15 October 1954), but they later divorced. He re-married with journalist, editor and writer Inka Martí Kiemann in April 2004. They have two children:
- Jacobo Martínez de Irujo y Fernández de Castro (born 23 January 1981). He married Asela Pérez Becerril on May 14, 2011. Co-owners of an art gallery.
- Brianda Eugenia Martínez de Irujo y Fernández de Castro (born 11 April 1984)
- Fernando Martínez de Irujo, 11th Marquis of San Vicente del Barco (born 11 July 1959). According to a profile of the Duchess of Alba published in 2008 in The IndependentThe IndependentThe Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
, the biological father of Fernando "is widely reported to be Sevillian flamenco dancer Antonio, el bailarin [Antonio Ruiz Soler, 1921-1996]", which, the paper previously stated, was "a rumour the Alba family never denied". Antonio, el bailarin declared this parentage in his posthumously published memoirs, though the publication of that information in the Spanish magazine Interviú led a Spanish court to award the duchess 90,000 euros, calling it an assault on the aristocrat's honor "with ... intention to profit".
- Cayetano Martínez de Irujo y Fitz-James Stuart, 13th Count of Salvatierra (born 4 April 1963, Madrid). By his ex-wife, Genoveva Casanova, from Mexico, he has twin children:
- Luis Martínez de Irujo y Casanova (born 25 October 2001)
- Amina Martínez de Irujo y Casanova (born 25 October 2001)
Cayetano re-married Genoveva Casanova y González (daughter of Kenneth Larry Casanova and his wife Mariana González y Reimann) in October 2005, after five years of relationship.
- Eugenia Martínez de Irujo, 12th Duchess of MontoroEugenia Martínez de Irujo, 12th Duchess of MontoroDoña María Eugenia Martínez de Irujo y Fitz-James Stuart, 12th Duchess of Montoro, Grandee of Spain is a Spanish aristocrat and socialite. Born in Madrid, she is the youngest daughter of Luis Martínez de Irujo y Artázcoz and Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart, 18th Duchess of Alba. The Duchess works as...
, born 26 November 1968. On 23 October 1998, she married bullfighter Francisco Rivera OrdóñezFrancisco Rivera OrdóñezFrancisco de Asís Rivera Ordóñez is a Spanish bullfighter.He is the son of Francisco Rivera Paquirri and Carmen Ordóñez, and his brother is the matador Cayetano Rivera Ordóñez...
of the Ordóñez bullfighting dynastyOrdóñez (bullfighter family)Ordóñez is a bullfighter family that has flourished since 1917 in Ronda; it is one of two significant bullfighter families from the same city; the other one is the Romero family.Notable members of the Ordóñez family are:...
. The couple divorced in 2002. They have one child:- Cayetana Rivera y Martínez de Irujo (born 16 October 1999)
After becoming a widow, the Duchess remarried on 16 March 1978 to Jesús Aguirre y Ortiz de Zárate (1937–2001), a Doctor of Theology
Doctor of Theology
Doctor of Theology is a terminal academic degree in theology. It is a research degree that is considered by the U.S. National Science Foundation to be the equivalent of a Doctor of Philosophy....
and a former Jesuit priest. The wedding caused shock; Aguirre was illegitimate, which was scandalous in 1970s Spain. Eleven 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.
Details emerged in 2008 regarding the Duchess's intention to marry Alfonso Díez Carabantes, a civil servant who also runs a public relations
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
business, 24 years her junior. It was reported that there were objections from her children and from King Juan Carlos, and the House of Alba that year 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 with the marriage, overcoming her children's opposition by giving them their inheritance in advance, the duchess's fortune includes ancient palaces throughout Spain, paintings by the Spanish masters Velazquez
Diego Velázquez
Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez was a Spanish painter who was the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV. He was an individualistic artist of the contemporary Baroque period, important as a portrait artist...
and Goya
Francisco Goya
Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker regarded both as the last of the Old Masters and the first of the moderns. Goya was a court painter to the Spanish Crown, and through his works was both a commentator on and chronicler of his era...
, a first-edition copy of Cervantes
Cervantes
-People:*Alfonso J. Cervantes , mayor of St. Louis, Missouri*Francisco Cervantes de Salazar, 16th-century man of letters*Ignacio Cervantes, Cuban composer*Jorge Cervantes, a world-renowned expert on indoor, outdoor, and greenhouse cannabis cultivation...
's Don Quixote, letters written by Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
, and huge stretches of land. Her wealth is estimated at between €600 million and €3.5 billion. Díez has formally renounced any claim to her wealth. They married on 5 October, 2011 at the Palacio de las Dueñas
Palacio de las Dueñas
Palacio de las Dueñas is a palace in Seville, Spain, currently belonging to the House of Alba. It was built in the late 14th century in the Renaissance style with Gothic and Moorish influences...
in Seville
Seville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
.
Titles
Duchies- 18th Duchess of Alba, Grandee of Spain
- 15th Duchess of Aliaga, Grandee of Spain -Ceded to her son Don Alfonso Martínez
- 3rd Duchess of Arjona, Grandee of Spain
- 11th Duchess of Berwick, Grandee of Spain (Jacobite PeerageJacobite peerageAfter the deposition by the English parliament in February 1689 of King James II and VII from the thrones of England and Ireland , he and his successors continued to create peers and baronets, which they believed was their right...
) - 17th Duchess of Híjar, Grandee of Spain
- 11th Duchess of Liria and Jérica, Grandee of Spain
- 11th Duchess of Montoro, Grandee of Spain -Ceded to her daughter Doña Eugenia
County-Duchy
- 12th Countess-Duchess of Olivares, Grandee of Spain
Marquesates
- 17th Marquise of the Carpio, Grandee of Spain
- 10th Marquise of San Vicente del Barco, Grandee of Spain -Ceded to her son Don Fernando
- 16th Marquise of La AlgabaLa AlgabaLa Algaba is a city located in the province of Seville, Spain. According to the 2005 census , the city has a population of 13623 inhabitants.-External links:* - Sistema de Información Multiterritorial de Andalucía...
- 16th Marquise of Almenara
- 18th Marquise of Barcarrota
- 10th Marquise of Castañeda
- 23rd Marquise of Coria
- 14th Marquise of Eliche
- 16th Marquise of Mirallo
- 20th Marquise of la Mota
- 20th Marquise of Moya
- 17th Marquise of Orani
- 12th Marquise of Osera
- 14th Marquise of San Leonardo
- 19th Marquise of Sarria
- 12th Marquise of Tarazona
- 15th Marquise of Valdunquillo
- 18th Marquise of Villanueva del Fresno
- 17th Marquise of Villanueva del Río
Counties
- 27th Countess of Aranda, Grandee of Spain
- 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
- 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
- 21st Countess of Modica (Kingdom of SicilyKingdom of SicilyThe Kingdom of Sicily was a state that existed in the south of Italy from its founding by Roger II in 1130 until 1816. It was a successor state of the County of Sicily, which had been founded in 1071 during the Norman conquest of southern Italy...
) - 24th Countess of Ribadeo
- 25th Countess of San Esteban de Gormaz
- 12th Countess of Santa Cruz de la Sierra
- 11th Countess of Tinmouth (Jacobite PeerageJacobite peerageAfter the deposition by the English parliament in February 1689 of King James II and VII from the thrones of England and Ireland , he and his successors continued to create peers and baronets, which they believed was their right...
) - 20th Countess of Villalba
Viscounties
- 12th Viscountess of la Calzada
Baronies
- 11th Baroness of Bosworth (Jacobite PeerageJacobite peerageAfter the deposition by the English parliament in February 1689 of King James II and VII from the thrones of England and Ireland , he and his successors continued to create peers and baronets, which they believed was their right...
)
Manorials
- 29th Lady of Moguer
Styles
- 28 March 192611 January 1935: The Most ExcellentThe Most ExcellentThe Most Excellent is an honorific prefix that is traditionally applied to certain people in Spain and certain Spanish-speaking countries...
Doña Mª del Rosario Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart y Silva - 11 January 193528 January 1947: The Most Excellent The Duchess of Aliaga
- 28 January 194718 February 1955: The Most Excellent The Duchess of Montoro
- 18 February 1955present: The Most Excellent The Duchess of Alba de Tormes
Honours
- Grand Cross of the Order of Alphonso X the Wise (14 December 2001)
- Dame of the Order of Queen Maria LuisaOrder of Queen Maria LuisaThe Royal Order of Queen María Luisa is an Order created by Charles IV of Spain by royal decree in April 21 1792 at the request of his wife Queen Maria Luisa, to have a way to reward noble women who distinguished themselves for their services and talents, so it was established as a distinction...
- Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic (1 April 1964)
- Grand Cross of the Order of Charity (5 April 1962)
Honorary appointments
- Constable of Aragon
- Dame of the Royal Arsenal Cavalry of Seville
- Honorary Mayor of Liria (Madrid)
- Honorary President of the Opera Philharmonic
- Honorary President of the Spanish Red Cross
- Marshal of Castilla
- Member of the Hispanic Society of America, New York
- Member of Merit of the Royal Hispanic-American Academy of Arts, Sciences and Letters of Cadiz