Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart, 18th Duchess of Alba was born on March 28, 1926 and became one of the most titled aristocrats in the world. She adored luxury, unusual outfits and plastic surgery.
Cayetana’s wealth, as the sole heiress of the Duke of Alba, exceeded the royal treasury by a hundredfold. The Spanish aristocrat was ahead of the British Queen Elizabeth II in terms of the number of titles and was the only aristocrat in the country who had a full-length bronze statue made during her lifetime. The Spaniards loved her. She was awarded the title “Beloved Daughter of Andalusia” for her contribution to the development of Seville.
Let’s see how Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart looked in her youth and how her face changed after numerous plastic surgeries and cosmetic procedures. Let’s compare the photos then and now.
Plastic surgery
Cayetana passionately dreamed of regaining her former youth, so she decided to take a chance and let plastic surgeons intervene in the process of her withering.
The exact number of all plastic surgeries she has done is unknown. According to some reports, she did abdominoplasty (tummy tuck), rhinoplasty (nose job), changed the shape of her lips, did a face and neck lift many times, gave botox injections and fillers.
Age and plastic surgery can quite “elegantly” get along, but, alas, this is not the case of the Duchess of Alba.
It is known that Cayetana suffered from Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome (it is characterized by recurrent paralysis and swelling of the face, as well as the upper lip). With the help of plastic surgery, she tried to hide the manifestations of the disease.
Plastic surgeons performed rhinoplasty, correction of lips, chin, cheekbones, facelift and neck and many other cosmetic procedures.
The result was not what the Duchess dreamed of, but it did not change her confidence that she was beautiful. That’s why Cayetana loved being photographed so much.
The rich heiress of the Spanish family lived a long life, she had six children and three husbands.
Not the most attractive appearance did not prevent her from marrying a younger man for love at the age of 85 and living happily with him for 3 years until her death!
The story of the Duchess of Alba is the best reminder that beauty cannot be bought, even if you have a lot of money for it.
Plastic surgery disfigured the main Spanish aristocrat.
In the last years of Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart ‘s life, her name did not leave the pages of the media.
Let’s see how her fate turned out.
First marriage
Cayetana had a unique beauty that was admired throughout Spain. Her attractiveness is hard to dispute: plump lips, lush hair and a thin waist. In addition to this, she had some kind of peculiarity that drove men crazy. She chose Luis Martinez de Irujo, an engineer and descendant of Spanish grandees. The groom was a noble family, besides a monarchist.
In 1947, the richest heiress of Spain married an aristocrat engineer Luis Martinez de Irujo. Cayetana was only 21 years old. In the post-war years, Cayetana’s wedding was called the most expensive in the world.
Cayetana and Luis were in love and happy. The Duke of Alba spent a huge sum on their wedding. It was 1947, and Europe, including Spain, was going through hard times. A month later, the wedding of the heiress of the British throne Elizabeth took place, and she looked very modest against the backdrop of Alba’s celebration.
In marriage, Cayetana gave birth to 5 sons and a daughter, who became her favorite. There could have been more children, but the young woman survived 5 miscarriages.
The marriage of Cayetana and Luis lasted 26 years. The man died of leukemia. By the decision of the Duchess, he was not informed of the diagnosis until the last.
Second marriage
In 1978, the 52-year-old Duchess remarried. Her chosen one was 41-year—old Jesus Aguirre, a former Jesuit priest.
In order to get married with the chosen one, the 52-year-old Duchess had to personally apply to the royal family for permission for a misalliance. This union made a lot of noise in the press and society, because everyone was sure that Jesus Aguirre was pursuing selfish goals.
The head of the house, Alba, lived with her second spouse for 23 years. The Duchess’s second husband also died of cancer.
The Duchess of Alba treated depression with plastic surgery and cosmetic procedures, but they did not benefit her. Then the Duchess of Alba began to choose more and more extravagant outfits. At the age of over 70, Cayetana continued to dance flamenco.
Third marriage
Cayetana was saved from depression by Alfonso Diez, with whom they had known for 30 years. The civil servant, who was 24 years younger than the Duchess, confessed his love to her and proposed marriage. Cayetana’s children were sure that Alfonso was hunting for money and valuables of the house of Alba.
The Spanish king did not want to give the lovers permission to marry, but he could not resist such a noble person and allowed her to marry — provided that the house of Alba remains in the hands of direct heirs.
In 2011, Cayetana gave her children her entire fortune, which was estimated at about € 3.5 billion, and married Alfonso. At her wedding, the 85-year-old bride danced flamenco.
“Every great love story should end with a wedding,” said Cayetana.
During her last marriage, the Duchess repeatedly attracted the attention of the press with her outfits: it was a wine-red dress, revealing legs in colored tights, and mini-skirts, and fishnet stockings. The Duchess of Alba admitted that she feels young and wants to dress accordingly.
Cause of death
Unfortunately, this time Cayetana was able to enjoy family happiness for only 3 years. In 2014, she was hospitalized due to pneumonia and exacerbation of gastroenteritis. On November 20, 2014, the most famous Spanish aristocrat died.