Mar 28, 2026
3 min read
This March marks the centenary of the birth of the former Duchess of Alba, a great icon of our country, who said "I do" on three occasions that marked three different periods of her life.
Cayetana Fitz-James Stewart (Madrid, 1926) was one of the most advanced women of her time.The Duchess of Alba, the Grandia of Spain and a breaker of the molds created by society, she made her life an example for many women to follow.This March is the centenary of her birth, 12 years after her death in Seville at the age of 88.As a tribute, an exhibition has been organized in the Liria Palace in Madrid, which gathers all her cultural heritage under the name "Cayetana. Great Spain".
According to her daughter Eugenia Martínez de Irujo, “My mother, although she was very independent in the sense that she broke the law and spoke her mind,But she was given a huge responsibility that she had carried all her life.She is not an over-the-top person.She is dedicated to preserving heritage.Taking care of art, palaces and everything related to culture” and we have confirmed this.
The life of the Duchess of Alba was marked by three great loves at different stages and vital moments of her life.From her first marriage to Luis Martínez de Iruja and Artacoz;the second marriage with Jesús Aguirre and Ortiz de Zarate, who has always been considered her great love;and at the age of 85, she again crossed the aisle to marry Alfonso Diez Carabantes in 2011.
Muchato waCayetana Fitz-James Stuart na Luis Martínez de Irujo (1947)
The 24-year-old Duchess of Montora first married Luis Martínez de Irujo (28 years old), a nobleman from Spain and the sixth son of Duke Sotomayor and the Marquis of Casa Irujo.The wedding, considered the "wedding of the century" and the most lavish of its time, was held at Seville Cathedral and even the international media reported this.
Cayetana turned to her favorite dressmaker, Flora Villarreal, to create her wedding dress, to whom she dedicated the following words in her memoirs: "I have always loved Flora and she is not as recognizable as Balenciaga."For this occasion she designed an ivory dress in line with the "New Look" aesthetic presented by Dior in Paris that same season.The dress is now in the Madrid Costume Museum.
The six children he had would be born from this marriage: Carlos, Alfonso, Jacobo, Fernando, Cayetano and Eugenia and they remained together until his death from leukemia in 1972.
Second marriage of the Duchess of Alba to Jesus Aguirre and Ortiz de Zarate (1978)
If the first marriage of Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart went down in history as one of the most expensive, the second would be the same as one of the most controversial.The relationship between the Duchess of Alba and the secular priest was unusual but ultimately lasted 23 years.She revealed many times that Jesus was the man of her life, despite the rejection he caused to many of her children, who called him "vain".
They met in 1977 and quickly said "I do" the following year, regardless of their age difference - he was 52 and she was 44 - or their ecclesiastical background.Aguirre was also a philosopher and a poet and this marriage was a revolution in the House of Alba, combining the intellectual world with the aristocracy.
Cayetana and Jesus were together until he died of a pulmonary embolism in 2001, which left a great void in the then Beach of Scotland despite his intense relationship, especially with his children Eugenia and Cayetano.
Keytana Fitz-James Stewart's third 'Yes, I Want' at 85 with Alfonso Dies Carabantes (2011)
The Duchess of Alba's third marriage made her one of the women in history who believed in love the most, regardless of age.She met Alfonso because he was one of the friends of her second husband, Jesús Aguirre, who became one of her great supporters after his death.He started a relationship with the social security worker he married in 2011 when he was 85 and she was 66.A marriage in which he had to give up his inheritance after being accused of being with the duchess for the title and its material possessions.
He explained in an interview that "Cayetana wanted to get married because her faith did not allow her to have a relationship without marriage and because she did not conceive of life in any other way."And so it was, they said "yes" to him at the Palacio de Dueñas in Seville after three years of courtship.This link left us with one of the most representative images of Cayetana's personality, who took off her shoes in front of all the photographers to dance Sevillanas after marrying Alfonso dressed in pink.
