The richest and most amazing woman in Spain, known as the 18th Duchess of Alba, is a representative of an ancient family with a history of 584 years. The head of the Alba family has the largest number of titles in the world. She has over 40 of them officially recognized by the government. This was the reason for the inclusion of Cayetana in the Guinness Book of Records as the most titled person in the world.
The Spanish Duchess of Alba belongs to a family originating from the famous aristocrats and grandees of Spain, who owned the city of the same name, spread out on the Tormes River. Their title was established in 1429 by Juan II of Castile, and the first holder was Archbishop Alvarez de Toledo. After his death due to celibacy, the title of count was inherited by the nephew of the priest, the Marquis of Coria. In 1472, the title of the House of Alba was raised to ducal.
Duchess Alba was born in 1926 in Madrid. The godparents of the girl were the reigning persons Victoria Eugenia and AlfonsoXIII. Cayetana was instilled with a love for the cultural traditions of Spain from early childhood. The best mentors of the country were engaged in her training. She is fluent in German, French and English. The young Duchess's best friends were Lizzie, the future Elizabeth II, Count Tolstoy, Jacqueline Kennedy and Prince Windischgrätz.
Horse riding, tennis, skiing were part of the secular upbringing and the main hobbies that the Duchess of Alba was fond of in her youth. Photos of those years tell about the past of a pretty pretty woman, happy with her life. They clearly testify to we alth and respect in high society.
In 1947, the Duchess of Alba married for the first time a representative of the no less famous family of the princes de Sotomayor. She had 6 children from her first marriage. The last child, the long-awaited daughter of Eugene, appeared when the Duchess was already 42 years old. Cayetana, being a widow, entered into a second marriage with Jesús Aguirre, who headed the department of music at the Spanish Ministry of Culture. The reaction to her marriage in society was mixed. Cayetana was accused of swagger, and her husband, who was 8 years younger than his wife, of selfish motives. Despite the hail of criticism, this marriage was happy, but was interrupted by the death of Jesus in 2001, which was a serious blow to the duchess.
The titulary's third marriage in 2008 to antiques dealer Alfonso Diaz, 24 years younger, was the subject of much ridicule and a rift within the House of Alba. The eldest son lost his rightson the inheritance and in protest cut off contact with his mother.
Nevertheless, the Duchess of Alba went into conflict with her family and gave them most of her many palaces, mansions and a significant part of the art gallery, consisting of paintings by Rembrandt, Goya, Rubens, Murillo, Velasquez. Alfonso, trying to prove that Cayetana's we alth was not the reason for the marriage, wrote a denial in writing of any claims to her money.
Marriage with Alfonso, numerous unsuccessful plastic surgeries made the duchess the heroine of the yellow press. According to the extraordinary noble person, all this does not prevent her from enjoying her old age. Rumor has it that the richest aristocrat in Spain can travel the entire country from north to south, without leaving the limits of her own possessions.
Duchess Alba, despite various gossip, is revered in Spain. The film La Duquesa was made about her life by the Telecinco television company, in which Adriana Osores played the main role. In Puerto Banos (Marbella), a nominal star was laid in honor of the Duchess, a monument was erected on Paseo de Cristina Caetana during her lifetime, and one of the squares in Seville bears her name.
