18th Duchess of Alba of Spain Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart died

Spain’s 18th Duchess of Alba, Maria del Rosario Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart died on 20 November 2014. She passed away at her Duenas Palace in the southern city of Seville, Spain. She was 88.

She was one of the nation’s richest women and has more titles than any other aristocrat in the world. Now she is survived by her husband to whom she married in 2011, Alfonso Diez, who is 25 years, her junior.

Her principle title was Duchess of Alba de Tormes. According to the Guinness World Records, she had more than 40 other principle titles due to a complex series of marriages by her ancestors, which made her the noble with the most officially recognised titles in the world. She was five times a duchess, 18 times a marchioness, 18 times a countess, 14 times a Spanish grandee and once a viscountess.

About Duchess of Alba, Maria del Rosario Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart
• Duchess of Alba de Tormes was born on 28 March 1926 at Liria Palace in Madrid, Spain.
• Her godmother was the Queen Consort of Spain, Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg, King of Spain Alfonso XIII de Borbón’s wife.
• She also claimed the title of Duchess of Berwick as she was a direct descendant of the King James II of Great Britain, through his illegitimate son James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick by his mistress Arabella Churchill
• She owned palaces and an extensive property portfolio as well as paintings by Goya and Velazquez
• Her wealth is estimated between 600 million euro and 3.5 billion euros which is expected to be shared among her six children.
• The Duchess of Alba was the head of one of Spain's oldest noble families
• She was the head of the House of Alba and the third woman to carry the title in her own right