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The Duchess is renowned for her eccentric lifestyle, having
possessed a fortune of £2.4 billion and was regularly featured
in gossip magazines and on television chat shows.
Being born Maria del Rosario Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart, she was
famously the most titled noble in world, holding 40 noble
titles and 150 hereditary titles – many more than our Queen. The
Duchess also held a rightful lineage to the Scottish Stuart
dynasty, therefore making her a contender for the Scottish throne
had Scotland gained independence in the recent referendum. She was
also a distant relative to Diana, Princess of Wales, and Prime
Minister Winston Churchill.
The 18th Duchess of Alba married three times during her life. She
was first married at the age of 21 to aristocratic naval
officer, Pedro Luis Martinez de Irujo y Artazcoz, at a wedding
supposedly costing £1.4 million in Seville Cathedral. The
Duchess gave birth to six children before her husband’s death in
1972. She made the headlines six years later when she married
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 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 was disapproved
by King Juan Carlos and caused notable difficulties among
her children. After announcing the marriage plans, The Duchess
publicly renouncing her vast wealth in order to marry her
long-term partner.
The Duchess was once renowned for being a society beauty, and later
underwent a number of plastic surgery procedures. She played
hostess to a number of international names, including Audrey
Hepburn, designer Yves Saint Laurent and Jackie Kennedy. Even
in her autobiography, The Duchess revealed that she once turned
down the opportunity to become a muse for artist Pablo Picasso.
It is believed that her fortune that she renounced was inherited
and split between her six children and eight
grandchildren.
Photo credit: julio ulanga via photopin
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