85-Year-Old Wealthy Woman Gives Up Everything to Marry Her Young Love

According to Saed News’ Society Desk, everyone seemed to forget that she was not just a scandalous woman—she was also a close friend of Queen Elizabeth, a flamenco dancer who restored one of Madrid’s most beautiful palaces, and a woman who fell in love and ignored all her wealth for the sake of her happiness.

Maria del Rosario Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart was the only daughter of Jacobo Fitz-James Stuart, the 17th Duke of Alba, and a close friend of King Alfonso VIII of Spain. Jacobo was 42 when he married the 20-year-old Spanish Queen Victoria. After six years, they had a daughter, Cayetana. The Duke had hoped for an heir, but his wife suffered from tuberculosis. To protect their daughter, he wouldn’t let Cayetana get close to her mother, so she barely remembered her. The young duchess passed away in 1934.

When Cayetana was ten, the Spanish Civil War began. Communists attacked and destroyed the Liria Palace in Madrid, the family’s residence. Jacobo and his daughter were forced to flee Spain. Soon after, General Franco rose to power and invited Jacobo to serve as the British ambassador.

Cayetana spent several years in London during World War II. She vividly remembered the nightly bombings and rushing to the underground shelters during air raids. She disliked the weather and longed to return to her homeland. Her only friend was a young princess, now known as Queen Elizabeth II, with whom she maintained a lifelong friendship.

At sixteen, Cayetana fell in love for the first time. During a trip to Spain, she met a bullfighter named Pepe Luis Vázquez. He fell for her and even proposed when she turned eighteen, but her father opposed the relationship and sent her back to London.

First Marriage, Six Children, Flamenco, and a Picasso Portrait

Cayetana was not classically beautiful, but her full lips, striking hair, and slender waist made her captivating. She chose to marry Spanish noble engineer Luis Martínez de Irujo, and her father approved. Their marriage was not a traditional arrangement—they were in love and happy. The Duke of Alba spent around $300,000 (roughly $3.8 million today) on the wedding. It was 1947, and Europe, including Spain, faced a difficult postwar period. Elizabeth celebrated her marriage a month later with a less extravagant ceremony.

Cayetana gave birth to five sons and one daughter. She could have had more children, but five of her pregnancies ended in miscarriage.

Though a dedicated wife and mother, Cayetana was a force of nature. She loved flamenco and danced better than anyone in Spain, with the full support of her husband. But when Pablo Picasso wanted to paint her nude portrait, Luis strongly objected.

Cayetana and Luis lived together for 26 years until he passed away from leukemia. She kept his illness from him until the end.

In 1978, the 52-year-old duchess married for the second time—Jesús Aguirre, a 41-year-old former priest who had left the clergy for his socialist ideals. The relationship drew criticism, but Cayetana’s noble status ultimately secured social acceptance. They shared 23 years together until Aguirre’s death from cancer.

The duchess tried to combat aging and depression with cosmetic surgery, but it didn’t improve her appearance. She turned to eccentric clothing to defy the years. Even her children criticized her choices, yet the Spanish public admired her. She supported Seville and regional culture and, even at 70, danced flamenco despite leg pain, earning her the nickname “the true daughter of Andalusia.”

Alfonso Díez, who had known her for 30 years, helped her overcome depression. A government employee 24 years her junior, he fell in love with her and proposed. Cayetana accepted, sparking social outrage. Her children were particularly upset, suspecting Alfonso was after the family fortune.

Media mocked the young man, and the duchess faced ridicule. Even the King of Spain opposed the marriage but could not forbid it, as Cayetana was a noblewoman—though he imposed one condition.

In 2011, Cayetana gave all her wealth—approximately $3.5 billion—to her children and married Alfonso. At 85, she danced flamenco at her wedding. Her younger husband demonstrated that he was not after her money and persuaded her to undergo another surgery, which restored her mobility. Afterward, she traveled to Ibiza with him, capturing the attention of photographers worldwide.