Assouline Cayetana: The Duchess Of Alba

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.