Cayetana, the Duchess of Alba: Art, Aristocracy, and the Soul of Spain

Cayetana, the Duchess of Alba: Art, Aristocracy, and the Soul of Spain is an intimate portrait of one of Spain’s most captivating and unconventional figures. María del Rosario Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart y Silva, 18th Duchess of Alba, was born in 1926 and, as a Grandee of Spain, became head of the House of Alba—one of Europe’s most important noble families for over five centuries—at the age of just twenty-seven. More than a grand aristocrat, Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart was a force of nature: a liberal spirit deeply devoted to Spain and profoundly ahead of her time.

Muse to artists, patron of the arts, and custodian of one of Europe’s richest cultural and historical legacies, she moved effortlessly between palaces and people, tradition and rebellion. A true cosmopolitan, she was unapologetically Spanish in her passions— flamenco, bullfighting, Seville, and a visceral love for the land and its history—yet her tastes were daring, her spirit modern, and her independence groundbreaking for a woman of her stature and era. She was closely connected to the international elite of her time, counting among her circle Queen Elizabeth II, Winston Churchill, Jackie Kennedy, Yves Saint Laurent, Maria Callas, Rudolf Nureyev, and Stavros Niarchos.

Through never-before-published family photographs, private interiors of her storied palaces, and deeply personal moments, often shared with the animals she adored and fiercely defended, this book reveals the woman behind the title. It captures her warmth and contradictions, her causes, and her unwavering commitment to culture, creativity, and country. Above all, she was the Duchess: one of the most exceptional figures ever to hold the title, guided throughout her life by the imperative of duty instilled by her father, the Duke Jacobo. This is the story not only of a legendary aristocrat but of a woman who embodied the art, passion, and enduring spirit of Spain itself.

The book’s foreword is written by her daughter, Eugenia Martínez de Irujo, Duchess of Montoro, and includes texts by her sons Carlos Fitz-James Stuart y Martínez de Irujo, the current Duke of Alba, and Jacobo Siruela, Count of Siruela.