One of Spain's richest aristocrats is to marry a man 25 years her junior despite initial opposition from her children.
The 85-year-old Duchess of Alba has released a statement saying she will marry Alfonso Diez, 60, in early October. It will be her third marriage.
In a rare interview, she said she wanted to marry Diez, but her children were against the idea. In July, however, she apparently placated them by dividing up much of her vast wealth among them. The duchess assigned them castles, palaces and other property of the 500-year-old House of Alba, which they will inherit upon her death.
The statement did not give an exact date or say where the nuptials will be held, although the duchess usually lives in Seville.
The wedding will be an intimate ceremony attended by few people, including her six children and their spouses, former daughters-in-law – all of her children have been divorced – and a bullfighter named Francisco Rivera Ordóñez, who was once married to the duchess's only daughter, Eugenia.
The duchess is a distant relative of Queen Elizabeth and Winston Churchill. Her full name is Maria del Rosario Cayetana Alfonsa Victoria Eugenia Francisca Fitz-James Stuart y de Silva. She and Diez are old acquaintances, but started dating about three years ago after bumping into each other at a cinema.
Her wealth is estimated at between €600m (£524m) and €3.5bn, according to media reports. Her possessions include paintings by Goya and Velázquez and a first edition copy of Cervantes's Don Quixote.
The duchess, who is a frequent fixture on the covers of Spain's celebrity magazines, said only one photographer would be present at the wedding, and would distribute photographs to other media.
"With this statement, I would appreciate it if the press stopped speculating and respected my privacy," she added.
You Might Also Like :
0 comments:
Post a Comment