A new exhibition in Sevilla reveals the vast estates, palaces, and castles of the late Duchess de Alba and their wealth.

WITH an estimated wealth of €3.5 billion and more than 40 official titles, she was the world’s most noble aristocrat and one of Spain’s wealthiest. 

The Duquesa de Alba’s vast holdings included over 40 estates, palaces, and castles, notably Palacio de Las Dueñas in Sevilla and Liria Palace in Madrid.

She was able to travel all over Spain, without having to leave her property.

She was a big Anglophile who dined with Winston Churchill, and partied along with Princess Margaret.

In an exclusive interview with the Olive Press in 2011 – one of the few she ever gave in English – she revealed she was ‘not a fan of bike lanes’ and Picasso had wanted to paint her ‘in the nude’. 

READ EDITOR JON CLARKE’S INTERVIEW WITH THE DUQUESA: Despite new topless pics of the Duquesa: ‘Why they wouldn’t let Picasso paint me in the nude!’

Now a new exhibition is celebrating the extraordinary life of Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart at her  former palace home in Sevilla.

Marking the centenary of her birth, the Palacio de Las Dueñas show features 200 artworks and other personal items.

It was curated by her daughter and highlights her influence as an art collector and cultural icon.

The Duchess spent much of her childhood in London while her father served as Spain’s ambassador to Britain, telling us in 2011 she was a ‘big fan’ of Marks & Spencer and Selfridges. 

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Her personal relationships have captivated the country throughout her life. She married fellow aristocrat Luis Martinez de Irujo at 21 and had six children with him. 

She married a Catholic priest after his death. Later, her marriage to Alfonso Diez, a PR expert, drew disapproval from the monarchy. 

She divided her wealth amongst her six children to resolve family objections before marrying Diez, in 2011, at the age of 85 and 61.

The Duchess was a passionate fan of bullfighting, and a patron of Spanish culture. She often occupied the place of honor in the ring at Sevilla.

She died in 2014 at the Palacio de las Dueñas.

The exhibition, which runs until 31 August, promises to be an apt tribute to this Duchess who was larger than life.

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