Not really but pretty damn close. Towards the end of September, 85-year-old Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart, the Duchess of Alba who has more titles than anyone else in the world, will marry Alfonso Diez, making the public relations consultant and commoner the Duke of Alba. She is a direct descendant of King James VII of Scotland and is related to Winston and Diana.
A selection of the Duchess' titles
18th Duchess of Alba de Tormes
11th Duchess of Berwick
Duchess of Arjona
Duchess of Hijar
11th Duchess of Liria and Jerica
14th Countess-Duchess of Olivares
Marchioness of El Carpio
Countess of Aranda
Countess of Lemos
Countess of Lerin and Condestablesa of Navarra
Countess of Miranda del Castañar
Countess of Monterrey
Countess of Osorno
Countess of Palma del Rio
12th Marchioness of la Algaba
Marchioness of Almenara
14th Marchioness of Barcarrota 19th Marchioness of Coria
Marchioness of Eliche
Marchioness of Mirallo
Marchioness of Moya
Marchioness of Orani
Marchioness of Osera
11th Countess of Tinmouth
Viscountess of la Calzada
11th Baroness of Bosworth
Viscountess of la Calzada
29th Dame of Moguer
Her first wedding in 1947 was a more fancy affair than the wedding of Elizabeth and Philip and was supposedly the most expensive wedding in history and overshadowed the Queen's wedding.
Wedding in 1947 (21 years old)
The Duchess - 1956
I saw the article below on the Huffington Post yesterday. As I am such a royalist and love a wedding more than most, I thought I should share:-
Duchess of Alba, Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart and Alfonso Diez to Marry
The Spanish aristocrat has 46 titles, as she is a duchess, a countess and a marquess several times over. Her wealth is valued at an estimated at nearly $4.9 billion and when combined, her property is 170 times the size of Monaco.
But being such a wealthy and titled woman comes with pressures and the Duchess of Alba has been a tabloid fixture in Spain for decades.
After losing her first husband Luis Martinez de Irujo in 1972, the Duchess spent time with a variety of eligible male matadors and flamenco dancers and eventually tied the knot with the much-younger Jesus Aguirre, an ex-priest. At the time, the marriage was "the marriage that astounded Spain." Now Cayetana has made headlines yet again for a third marriage, this time to Diez. The 61-year-old civil servant is 25 years younger than his well-heeled fiance.
Beyond the couple's age gap, the controversy over their proposed union centers on Cayetana's children's disapproval. The Duchess' son Cayetano Martinez de Irujo, the Duke of Salvatierra, expressed displeasure at having only met Diez three times, especially because he will become the Duke of Alba. The Duchess told Hello magazine, "The tough part was that my children didn't understand and they got quite angry with me." But the magazine reports that to allay her family's fear, she spent the summer dividing up her wealth, including palaces and artwork by masters like Goya and Velazquez, between her six children. By giving up her wealth in advance, she seems to have her children's support in time for her nuptials, planned for late September or early October.
Check out a pic of the Duchess of Alba and her lucky man below.
(Should we tell her about Storm in a D cup)
Civvies Day
Red carpet day (he looks so proud)
With a former beau
(no funds for lipstick or wisely advised that lipstick would just
make them look worse)
Cover girl of note
(amazing what a make-up artist and airbrushing can do)
She moves in high circles - nice "stiff upper lip"
(don't take any tips Camilla - you are doing just fine)
Do you think Tom is on a soap box? If so, she must be very tiny. Not often he
dwarfs someone
So please keep your eyes open and let me know if there are any further announcements and whether there will be any television coverage. I have a diplomatic contact in Spain so I am trying to pull a few strings (promise, it is not a lie). I have always wanted to go to the tomato festival in Bunol in August (somewhere close to Valencia) called Latomatina (another promise). 40,000 people having a food fight - it must be awesome (if you love tomatoes). Perhaps an extended trip to include the wedding or alternatively a wedding party at St Denis Road. No danger of anyone upstaging the bride!!! Watch this space.
Imagine those tomatoes squishing through your fingers and toes
