On November 20th 2014, a duchess descended from royalty but who had more titles than most kings and queens of her time died. The death of a Spanish noblewoman might not ordinarily make global headlines. But Cayetana, Duchess of Alba, was no ordinary person. She had been feted by some of the most famous people of the 20th century and packed plenty of excitement and intrigue into her 88 years. The duchess had only the vaguest of claims to a throne but royalty loved her.
Maria del Rosario Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart y Silva had been born in one of Spain’s grandest residents, the Liria Palace, in 1926. Her surname was a clue to her regal ancestors. The Fitz-James Stuarts were descended from James II, the king who had been forced to flee London and his realm after his reign descended into chaos in 1688. Cayetana, as this duchess was always known, was his eight times great granddaughter.
But while her branch of this almost royal family might not have had a throne, by the time Cayetana arrived, they did have a huge fortune. She was the only child of Jacobo Fitz-James Stuart, Duke of Alba, who was an influential politician and Olympic silver medallist as well as a wealth aristocrat. Her mother was Maria del Rosario de Silvwho was even richer and who had inherited a whole raft of titles of her own. When the Albas welcomed their daughter, they called on the King and Queen of Spain, Alfonso XIII and Victoria Eugenie, to be her godparents.
Cayetana was in high demand in high society from her very earliest years and by the time she married, in 1947, anyone who was anyone wanted to be seen at her wedding. Her husband was an aristocratic naval officer, Pedro Luis Martinez de Irujo y Artazcoz, and they said ‘I do’ in style. Their wedding was said to cost £1.4 million with huge crowds flocking to Seville Cathedral to see them marry. They went on to have six children together.
In 1953, her father died and she became Duchess of Alba. But that was just her main title. Cayetana inherited all kinds of titles from both her parents. The Guinness Book of Records had her as the most titled person in the world. She had over 50 hereditary titles and was a Grandee of Spain many times over.
But that was only one part of Cayetana’s story. She was famed for rubbing shoulders with some of the most famous people of the 20th century, including Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Audrey Hepburn and Charlton Heston. She was a fashionista and featured on the covers of style bibles like Harper’s Bazaar. And her personal life kept gossip magazines busy for years.
After the death of her first husband, she caused a stir with her decision to marry a a defrocked Jesuit priest, Jesus Aguirre y Ortiz de Zarate. She was widowed again when he passed away in 2001.
Much to the surprise of some, the Duchess of Alba announced in 2011 that she planned to marry for a third time – this time to her long-term companion, Alfonso Diez Carabantes, who was 24 years younger than her. This marriage caused consternation in Spain and concern from King Juan Carlos as well as Cayetana’s children. After announcing the marriage plans, the duchess distributed her cast wealth amongst her family in order to marry her long-term partner.
Once a famed beauty, Cayetana de Alba never shied away from plastic surgery and continued her love of fashion until her final days. She revealed in her autobiography that she had turned down the chance to be a muse for Pablo Picasso.
Her death, on November 20th 2014, made headlines around the world. Her titles passed to different members of her family and, with them, the claim of one member of the Fitz-James Stuart clan to be the most titled person in the world. It was perhaps for the best. Cayetana had made that, like so much, her very own.
