So Alfonso, what DID you see in that 85-year-old billionairess? Spanish duchess marries toyboy in lavish ceremony

-Civil servant began dating mother-of-six Duchess of Alba three years ago after meeting in cinema
-Two of her children did not attend the wedding
-Her week was soured by publication of topless photo from 30 years ago

By Daily Mail Reporter


Love's young dream: The Duchess of Alba, Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart y Silva, 85, with her new husband Alfonso Diez, 60, at their wedding in Seville

The bride was an eccentric 85-year-old billionaire with more titles than Queen Elizabeth II. The groom was a mere civil servant young enough to be her son.

Despite the objections of her six children and plenty of public controversy, Spain’s colourful Duchess of Alba wed Alfonso Diez, 60, at her 15th century palace in Seville yesterday.

The famously flamboyant Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart wore a delicate pale pink gown designed by Victorio y Lucchino for her third marriage, which took place in front of 38 guests.

The Duchess and her husband Alfonso Diez walk inside Las Duenas Palace during their wedding in Seville

Well-wishers donned fancy dress and wigs in an attempt to copy her quirky style as they celebrated in the city’s streets.

Reveller Pedro Ramirez, 28, said: ‘The Duchess is extremely popular here.’

The twice-widowed Duchess’s children feared Diez was a gold-digger – so he has relinquished his rights to her £3billion fortune in an effort to appease them.

A crowd of several hundred clapped and roared its approval as the Duchess waved and danced on a red carpet following her wedding to Diez at Palacio de las Duenas, her opulent 15th-century residence in the cobble-stoned old quarter of Seville.

The duchess, who is a distant relative of Winston Churchill and Princess Diana, went ahead with the marriage despite her children’s qualms.

It emerged in August that she has divided her fortune between her six children to convince them that her suitor is besotted with her rather than her money.

And she certainly seemed like a young girl in love, celebrating after the ceremony by kicking off her shoes and dancing a bit of flamenco.

The Duchess, a distant relative of Winston Churchill and the Queen dances at her wedding today (left) and (right) pictured in 1956

Sedate: The twice-widowed aristocrat, famed for her frizzy hair, glamorous social life and colourful dress sense, tied the knot in the chapel of her 15th century Palacio de las Duenas in Sevilla

Fabulously wealthy Cayetana and Alfonso Diez exchange rings during their wedding ceremony

Mouthful: The Guinness Book Of Records lists her as having more titles than any other noble. Her full name is Maria del Rosario Cayetana Alfonsa Victoria Eugenia Francisca Fitz-James Stuart y de Silva

The wedding was one of the most highly anticipated and talked-about events in Spain this year

Cayetana plays to the crowd, dancing flamenco beside her husband Alfonso Diez and music group Siempre Asi at the entrance of Las Duenas Palace

The duchess certainly seemed like a young girl in love, celebrating after the ceremony by kicking off her shoes and dancing a bit of flamenco

Known now for her frizzy white hair, squeaky voice and wildly colourful clothes, the duchess is among Spain’s most famous people.

And scandal threatened to overshadow the day when earlier this week the Spanish magazine Interviu published a 30-year-old photograph of the duchess sunbathing topless in Ibiza.

He lawyer Javier Saavedra said: 'We are considering suing for interfering with her rights to privacy.'

While hundreds of well-wishers and press gathered outside the gates only a few dozen family members and close friends were invited to the ceremony.

Main event: Crowds of well-wishers and photographers jostle for a glimpse of the couple as walked out of the chapel

Livewire: The part-loving Duchess delighted her guests when she took to the dance floor with celebrated Spanish Matador Curro Romero

Knees up: The energetic duchess struts her stuff with her new husband

The Duchess of Alba, Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart, receives a kiss from her son Carlos Fitz-James Stuart before being escorted out of the chapel by her new husband


The twice-widowed duchess wore a pale pink knee-length dress by Spanish designers Victorio y Lucchino on Tuesday.

Her full name - take a deep breath - is Maria del Rosario Cayetana Alfonsa Victoria Eugenia Francisca Fitz-James Stuart y de Silva.

She goes by simply Cayetana, and is a distant relative of Queen Elizabeth and Winston Churchill.

She and Diez, a social security administration employee, are old acquaintances through her second husband, who was a former priest, and Diez’s brother.

They bumped into each other about three years ago outside a cinema in Madrid and eventually started dating.

Her six children, all from her first marriage, reportedly balked when the idea of marriage emerged.

In July of this year she assigned them and her grandchildren juicy chunks of her vast estate, including mansions and palaces, in an effort to appease them.

Estimates of her wealth range from 600million and 3.5billion euros.

The duchess's fortune includes palaces and mansions throughout Spain, paintings by the likes of Velazquez, Goya and Rubens and huge stretches of land.

Two of the children did not attend the wedding.

Her only daughter, Eugenia, was reported to be in hospital in Madrid with chicken-pox, while one of her sons, named Jacobo and reportedly unhappy with his slice of the family fortune, was said to be travelling outside Spain.


source:dailymail