When the history books are written, I think most people would have preferred to live like the Duchess of Alba. The Duchess passed away today at the age of 88. She wasn’t sick for very long – this was a rapid deterioration after a lifetime of fabulousness. The Duchess is survived by six (adult) children and her young boy-toy widower, her third husband Alfonso Diez. The Duchess of Alba was the most titled noblewoman in the world. She was also one of the wealthiest women in the world, although her kids made her sign over a great deal of her fortune to them when she married her last husband, because they feared Alfonso was a golddigger. LIES! Alfonso made her so happy in her last years. She danced the flamenco with him at their wedding!!!
Spain’s Duchess of Alba, one of Europe’s wealthiest aristocrats, died on Thursday, aged 88, after a short illness, media said. The owner of fabulous palaces and priceless works of art, Maria del Rosario Cayetana Alfonsa Victoria Eugenia Francisca Fitz-James Stuart y Silva, known as ‘Cayetana’, was known for her flamboyant lifestyle and was the world’s most titled person, according to the Guinness Book of Records.
Two days ago she was said to be showing signs of recovery after being rushed to hospital in Spain with pneumonia on Sunday night. She had a steady stream of visitors including her sons, daughter and husband Alfonso Diez. A doctor treating her has been reported as saying she was showing signs of recovery.
According to The Olive Press a spokesperson for the duchess’ charitable foundation said: ‘She had suffered a stomach virus a few days earlier but had recovered from it. Now she has pneumonia. At her age, one thing leads to another. She is weak. We are worried because we love her very much.’
Forbes recently estimated her wealth to be in the region of 2.8 billion euro (£2.2billion). A relative of Winston Churchill, the duchess shared toys with England’s future Queen Elizabeth while living in England as a girl. Twice-widowed, she raised eyebrows in 2011 when at age 85 she wed her third husband, a civil servant 25 years her junior.
She was 14 times a Spanish grandee, five times a duchess, once a countess-duchess, 18 times a marchioness, 18 times a countess and once a viscountess, according to the entry.
With her cloud of white hair and face moulded by plastic surgery, she was rarely out of the Spanish gossip magazines.
‘I don’t like to talk about money. Many people confuse having cash with having assets – we’ve never had a lot of cash,’ she wrote in her autobiography. Many of the palaces, castles and works of art belonging to the House of Alba have restrictions placed on their sale because of their historic importance for Spain.
With estates dotted across mainland Spain and on some of its islands, she was known for being able to crisscross the country without having to spend the night in a property that was not hers. She also had one of Spain’s most dazzling art collections, including works by grand masters Goya, Rembrandt and Velazquez.
Bless her. That Daily Mail link has more info about the life and times of the Duchess. You can also read her crazy Wiki page here. I think she probably lived a very happy, full life. And if she wanted to marry her commoner boy-toy and that made her happy, what’s the big deal? Anyway, she was one of a kind. She will be missed. Mostly she’ll be missed in Ibiza, which is where she loved to party (no joke).
Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet.
RIP
P.S. Abbott I need you to change your avatar immediately to the header pic. Please. #imbegging
Definately Iconic and eccentric. RIP Duchess de Alba.
Has a movie been made yet?
#Fabulous
RIP Duchess Fabulous!
Now we’ll have to settle for royals who aren’t as amazing.
Feeling rather sad about this, but shall continue to wear my bright mauve tights (in 40 degree C weather) in her honour.
LOL +1
Luv her.
Michael k will be devastated! ( and her family.) Here’s to a fabulous life well lived
Yes. Poor Michael K!
Michael K will be in seclusion sitting Shiva for the Duchess. Wearing a black veil, of course.
I fear only news like Harry announcing he’s into guys will perk up his spirits.
Michael K can break your heart sometimes. His tribute is idiosyncratically beautiful.
Hope he’s comforted to know he’s the first person many of us thought of on hearing the sad news!
🙁
I thought of Micheal K. immediately too. So sad for him.
i fear for him as well, he’s totally obsessed with the duchess.
she reminds me of my great-aunt (well, minus the money and titles). she got hitched in her late 80s to a man in his mid-50s (first marriage for her) after a lifetime of travel, partying, and doing her own thing. her husband def made her happy for a few years before she passed away. it seems like that was also the case with the duchess. RIP.
It’s hilarious how many of us thought of Michael K. He still has Rojo Caliente, though.
Michael K must be devastated. 🙁
ETA: JINX!!!
I tip my hat to a lady who partied hard right up to the end – my kind of gal. RIP Duchess.
True dat.
+1
Here here
This is scary. My grandmother just got out of the hospital after being admitted for pneumonia… she was admitted the day before her 89th birthday. Pneumonia is a scary thing.
RIP Duchess of Alba – she seemed to have such a vibrant, fun life.
•Erinn•
{{HUGS}} May your grandmother recover fully and grace your lives for several more years.
Yes pneumonia is scary, so glad your grandmother is recovering. My healthy fit 14 year old got blindsided by it last year and spent 10 DAYS in the hospital. At certain points all we could do was watch his vital signs, so horrific.
Terrifying experience Esmom. I can’t believe pneumonia did that to your son in this day and age. I thought it was one of the easier cured diseases these days.
Oh, to have lived that kind of life.
Oh MichaelK is going to be some kinda sad this morning.
AH I thought to him too !
RIP. I only know her from the Dlisted posts. She seemed like a fun lady. OT, just heard that Mike Nichols has died too. RIP.
Oh no…so sad.
Poor Diane Sawyer.
Sad news.
I think it’s a bit pushing to call a 62 years old a Toy Boy no?
Nobody is calling calista Flockward a Toy Girl …
The man is not even young he is himself an old man.
Otherwise yeah she was absolutely fabulous I kind of envy her life … and I am 28 yrs LOL!
He’s not 80 and those pictures look like living with her was taking its toll. It’s not easy to live with someone that old if you aren’t that age yourself. I’m hoping they had a mutual business understanding, that they provided for each other’s needs, and that now he can take her bequest and go have a good ‘ole time.
Awww, I’m sad for her husband. She seemed AWESOME.
She lived it up, but was frail. The way she died might have blindsided them, but it was coming.
I loved the photo of the Duchess in the water with her nurses helping her along. She was living it up to the very end!
RIP.
Cool bird. RIP.
This makes me sad. She was cool and unconventionel. The kind of woman who lives her life without regrets and she never feared public opinion.
Oh and i remember how she danced barefoot on the street after her wedding to her “younger” husband. I loved it
•Dany•
Agreed! She lived life her way. Props for that kind of attitude.
RIP fabulous lady. Now that is a life! I am jealous of her, but not her cosmetic surgeries, yikes. And what is this talk about a boy toy, her third husband was 60 to her 85, it’s not like she went and got a tango dancer who was in his twenties… Hope her last years were happy. In my next life, can I be her?
At 85 she had the right to not give a crap about what other people were thinking, she was happy RIP !
Had she lived any longer she may well have eventually traded in the old mode (say, when he hit seventy or some such old age)l for a 25-year-old tango dancer…you never know.
She was definitely a character and she did indeed break the mold.
Or he would have kicked the bucket — no way a 70 year old could keep up with HER!
What a great life she had, partied to the end.
She was pretty as a young woman — ironically the cosmetic surgery made her look as inbred as her full name sounded.
LOL true this.
I loved her. What a character.
And Scotland must be sad and wondering what could have been. She was in line to be Queen of Scotland if they’d settled on independence wasn’t she?
I wanna marry a Commoner Boy Toy and wear batshit crazy clothes when im old Too
Bravo Maja!
Why wait? Apparently Rob Kardashian added batshit crazy onsies to his collection……available at Macys now (and at Goodwill in January).
And she turned down Picasso! Good on her! Requiescat in pace lovely lively lady 1,000x over.
She didn’t, her first husband forbade her to pose for him.
Since it’s very ugly badmouth the dead let’s leave it here.
•Spaniard•
So teasing us is better?
Not teasing anyone, you only need to read what a lot of spanish people think about this lady and her feudal prerrogatives, information is everywhere. How sad to worship people whose only merit is born into a family with a name, IMO actors deserve more credit than aristocrats, royalties, etc at least they do something productive and doesn’t get public money.
We are at the XXI century and still have people with Medieval privileges. But to each his own… it’s just my opnion
Cheers to a fabulous life. I hope she was always as thrilled with it as she seemed to be.
Go forth in peace and continue to be fabulous, Duchess.
Fabulous woman. Extraordinary life. Rest in Peace, Duchess!
Michael K will be devastated!
This makes me sad. I remember seeing a picture of her playing the waves (helped along by her husband) in a bikini a couple years ago. I would love to one day be that free. Here is a brief write-up on her previous weddings I thought might be enjoyable to some: http://orderofsplendor.blogspot.com/2011/08/wedding-wednesday-duchess-of-albas-gown.html
That was one lady who (in honor of Michael K) had less than zero f&cks to give, and man, she did it her way!! The first time I ever saw her was on D-listed, and then of course I had to read about her. Amazing person. I don’t care how much you have or who you are-if you don’t LIVE your life your way, that’s sad. The duchess was always herself, and now she’s flamenco-ing in heaven. RIP.
Now that’s a lady who did it right.
This hurts. I LOVED her and her fashions.
She’s always been one of my faves–rest in peace, beautiful lady! She always loved flamenco, since she was young:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ign_9jDXLWE/TpcQPtNFxNI/AAAAAAAATR4/7wW2SFG_sdE/s1600/duchess-of-alba.jpg
This gorgeous picture and the one of her dancing flamenco at her wedding are perfect bookends to a wonderful life. RIP duchess.
So many lives in just one. La más grande!
So glad Celebitchy covered this as I am officially in mourning today. I learned about her when I first studied abroad in Spain in 2008. While I never actually saw her, I did see her car once in this village where there was a feria going on in Andalusia (city of Ronda for those of you who are familiar with Spain geography). The Spaniards lost their s*** and swarmed her car screaming “ES LA DUQUESA DE ALBA!!!!” as they explained to us clueless Americans who had no idea who she was! I quickly caught on though and became a huge fan. She is so beloved by Spaniards and she is the equivalent of their Elizabeth Taylor (but way richer and she never got divorced, her first two husbands died).
She led such an interesting life and survived the Spanish Civil War. Her father was an ambassador to England from Spain under Franco and her mom died when she was very young so she was an only child. It’s such a fascinating story. I hope someday a movie gets made someday, they would just have to call it “Cayetana.” RIP dear Cayetana. The world has lost a sassy and lovely lady.
Please, I beg you not to talk in the name of all Spain because what you say it’s not true at all. She was not “beloved by spaniards” only a part of them, primarily in Andalusia. His father worked for Franco government, how nice,lovely and glamorous working for a bl*ody fascist dictator who ruled the country with an iron fist during 40 long years.
Since you seem to know the country and probably the language, How about going to online spanish newspapers and read what the people says in the online forums? there are a lot of different opinions. Just try http://www.elmundo.es/ for example.
“Survived the Spanish Civil War”…please, just this statement it’s an insult to all the “commoners” who suffered this terrible episode for real, not this privileged people.
spaniard, I speak Spanish and went to the El Mundo website and can’t find all this negative coverage you’re speaking of. Can you send me a more specific link? Because what I see is “Sevilla llora a la duquesa de Alba”, “torera, elegante y luchadora”, “los extranjeros, fascinados por la aristocool” etc. All extremely positive.
First of all I do not mean to make light of the Spanish Civil War. I am perfectly aware of how dark this period was for Spain, a period many Spaniards still don’t like to talk about. I’ve been to El Valle de los Caidos and I’ve seen Franco’s grave and I was horrified by the austereness and the misery the place represents (and I know political prisoners built the whole thing). It’s not like visiting a concentration camp but it was a vey similar feeling.
I don’t think her father working for a dictator was “glamorous.” I used the word fascinating. She lived a very fascinating life. Yes she was privileged and she was lucky to survive the war by being sent away grom Spain. That doesn’t make it a crime. I apologize if you felt I was making light of Spanish history. I would never do that, I respect the country too much for that.
Fascinated by the ‘Fitz-James Stuart’ ancestry bit.
• An illegitimate son of James II
(before or post accession?) or maybe James, the Old Pretender? But by which woman? What did the chap do to be recorded among the Spanish nobility?
• Just think…..via the Stuart blood in the British royals derived from James’ aunt Elizabeth, this means thrill-a-minute Prince William is distantly related to this fabulous duchess. Maybe he’ll start wearing his baseball cap backwards!
Chris2: i’m a history bore, so here goes…..
The illegitimate son in question was product of an affair between James 2 and Arabella Churchill (sister of the 1st Duke of Marlborough). He was born 1670 during the reign of James 2’s brother Charles 2.
James 2 ascended in 1685, but reigned for old 3 yrs.
The Spanish connection came in the generation after that, effectively the grandkids, where the heir to the illegitimate son married one Catalina Portugal-Columbus, 9th Duchess of Veragua and la Vega.
It’s annoying keeping track of them all except via their titles because the heirs all appear to have been named James Fitz-James Stuart. So the first issue was 1st Duke of Berwick, the next was No 2 Duke of Berwick, the next No 3 etc, etc and so forth.
In the context of your overall question, no 2 married the Spanish lady.
LAK
You angel! Fabulous stuff. Thanks so much. 🙂
• BTW recently reread the magisterial biography of Marlborough by Richard Holmes. By god he (and the git Monmouth) were beautiful men!
edit: I must say I think James II had to go…in thrall to Rome but also in the latter stages of syphilis and all that implies for mental health.
Whatever and no matter…..the 17th century is utterly enthralling.
I’ve only read the Churchill account of Marlborough.
Obviously some bias since he was a close and reverred relation, so I’ll add your version and read a different take (perhaps).
And I agree about Marlborough. He was rather easy on the eye even taking into consideration flattering portrait artists.
Speaking of flattering artists, this time the verbal kind, i’ve never seen the fabled beauty of Mary Scots, and I’ve seen lots of portraits of her. I really don’t get it.
Chris2: forgot to add, because I thought you’d be tickled, our dear Fergie is a direct descendant of Monmouth!!
MK must be a wreck. I feel so sad for him. For me, the passing of the Dutchess is sad but less sad than MK because she lived a long full life. I hope she has provided for MK financially and also left him some of her jewelry.
I agree with Spaniard. Amy, i am sure that a lot the sites you mention show the kinder side of her and that many people mourn her death. Of course, it is always a pity when a person dies. However, she was not as well liked as it appears in foreign media and the only reason why she partied till the end as you all like to mention is because she was born rich and privileged. I am not a fan of the Privileges and Feudalism she stood for and the way she paid (almost no) taxes
I think she was very well loved. Most spanish news outlets have shown very flattering opinions about her and guessing by the number of people who have gone to paid their tributes to her late body, she was very liked by general publc. It’s true she wasn’t perfect or this example of great modernizer of the spanish nobility as some are making her out to be. But I think that her love for promoting Sevilla has made her an endearing figure in modern spanish history. Still, I find it quite funny that she is called the “most noble noble and blah blah” when in true the Duchess of Osuna wins in precedence and the late Duchess of Medinaceli also has many more tites, but was not as famous.
In any case, she definetely lived by her fullest and seemed a nice person (not to mention having a great fashion style! I love it). Sad that most of the old school aristos are passing away.
My favorite detail about her is the bit about horses in church:
“As head of the 530-year-old House of Alba, she is entitled to ride her horse into Seville Cathedral, and according to protocol does not have to kneel before the Pope. Some genealogists even claim that the Queen must bow to her, owing to the fact that the duchess is descended from James II through his illegitimate son James Fitz-James, while the Queen is from the “upstart” Saxe-Coburg-Gotha line.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/spain/11242607/Duchess-of-Alba-dies-aged-88.html
The genealogy is somewhat wrong. The ‘saxe-coburgs are descended from James 1 via his daughter, Elizabeth,who was married off to Frederick 5, Elector of Palatine.
James 1 is the first Stuart King. James 2, from whom the Duchess i’d descended, was his grandson and the 4th Stuart King.
On top of which the Duchess is descended from an illegitimate son of James 2.
In early history, illegitimacy was/is beyond the pale. Rather a line descended from the female line than one descended from illegitimacy.
These people took the question of illegitimacy/legitimacy VERY seriously.
Going back to the genealogy, the reason it’s often interpreted that way is due to the Stuarts’ refusal to relinquish their rights or claims to the thrones of England and Scotland.
IF the glorious revolution of 1688 and attendant act of succession 1701 had not happened, then yes, we’d be looking at a very different royal family and the saxe-coburgs might have remained in Hanover, never to disturb our shores.
However, if you follow the bloodline, then the saxe-coburgs are an older branch albight through a daughter.
Considering the Queen is a reigning monarch and descended from multiple non-upstart reigning houses and not from an illegitimate line, I don’t think she would have to bow to her or most anyone. I wonder if they said the same about King Juan Carlos who is also of the Coburg line as well as a morganatic branch of the Hessians–the Battenbergs. (Same line as the Duke of Edinburgh)
Another notable relation of the late Duchess’s is Empress Eugenie of France, consort of Napoleon III and one of the favorite subjects of Winterhalter’s portraits. Eugenie was the sister of the Duchess’s great-grandmother Paca. (Eugenie was Spanish by birth) The Empress died in 1921. Her goddaughter and namesake Victoria Eugenie (youngest granddaughter of Queen Victoria) would become the Duchess’s own godmother. Victoria Eugenie would also bring the ‘upstart’ Coburg and morganatic Battenberg’s line to Spain. (Her great-grandson is the current King). The Duchess modeled her first wedding gowned a dress worn by Eugenie.
Kori: well said.
It’s amazing how often that line about ‘HM bowing to the late Duchess due to lineage’ is repeated.
And it’s repeated so often that it’s taken on the sheen of truth.