Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart, 18th Duchess of Alba
| Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart | |
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| 18th Duchess of Alba (more...) | |
Memorial to the Duchess of Alba, Seville
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| Duchess of Alba | |
| Tenure | 18 February 1955 – 20 November 2014 |
| Predecessor | Jacobo Fitz-James Stuart, 17th Duke of Alba |
| Successor | Carlos Fitz-James Stuart, 19th Duke of Alba |
| Spouse(s) | Luis Martínez de Irujo y Artázcoz (m. 1947; dec. 1972) Jesús Aguirre y Ortiz de Zárate (m. 1978; dec. 2001) Alfonso Díez Carabantes (m. 2011) |
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Issue
Carlos Fitz-James Stuart, 19th Duke of Alba
Alfonso Martínez de Irujo, 18th Duke of Hijar Jacobo Fitz-James Stuart, 23rd Count of Siruela Fernando Martínez de Irujo, 11th Marquis of San Vicente del Barco Cayetano Martínez de Irujo, 4th Duke of Arjona & 13th Count of Salvatierra Eugenia Martínez de Irujo, 12th Duchess of Montoro |
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Full name
María del Rosario Cayetana Paloma Alfonsa Victoria Eugenia Fernanda Teresa Francisca de Paula Lourdes Antonia Josefa Fausta Rita Castor Dorotea Santa Esperanza Fitz-James Stuart, Silva, Falcó y Gurtubay
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| Noble family |
FitzJames Alba |
| Father | Jacobo Fitz-James Stuart, 17th Duke of Alba |
| Mother | María del Rosario de Silva, 9th Marchioness of San Vicente del Barco |
| Born |
28 March 1926 Liria Palace, Madrid, Spain |
| Baptised | 18 April 1926 Royal Chapel, Royal Palace of Madrid |
| Died | 20 November 2014 (aged 88) Palace of the Dukes of Alba, Seville, Spain |
| Signature | .jpg) |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Doña María del Rosario Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart y de Silva, 18th Duchess of Alba de Tormes, Grandee of Spain (28 March 1926 – 20 November 2014), was head of the House of Alba and the third woman to hold the dukedom of Alba in her own right.
Born at Liria Palace on 28 March 1926, she was the only child of the 17th Duke of Alba (a prominent Spanish politician and diplomat during the 1930s and 1940s) by his wife, María del Rosario de Silva y Gurtubay, 9th Marchioness of San Vicente del Barco. Her godmother was the Queen Consort of Spain, Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg, wife of Alfonso XIII de Borbón, King of Spain.
As head of the dynasty, she was styled by her most senior title of Duchess of Alba, whilst holding over 40 other hereditary titles. According to Guinness World Records, she was the most titled aristocrat in the world.
Via her descent from James FitzJames, she was King James II of England's senior illegitimate descendant.
She was inducted into Vanity Fair's International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 2011.
On 12 October 1947, the Duchess married Don Luis Martínez de Irujo y Artázcoz (1919–1972), son of the . The wedding in Spain, just after the Second World War, is considered to be one of the last great weddings of European nobility and attracted the attention of the international media. The New York Times called it "the most expensive wedding of the world." It was reported that 20 million pesetas (€7,644,678 equivalent in 2014) was spent at that time. Six children were born of this marriage, who were all conferred noble titles by their mother, in accordance with Spanish Royal protocol, including the rank of Grandee of Spain.
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