- Historical event
- 28 March 1926
- According to the Guinness World Records, the Duchess of Alba has more recognized titles than any other person in the world today.
The person who holds the greatest number of recognized noble titles in today’s world was born on this day. She is the Duchess of Alba, named María del Rosario Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart y Silva.
She was born at her family’s Liria Palace in Madrid, only a few hundred meters from Madrid’s royal palace. According to the Guinness World Records she possesses the most noble titles in the world, which she inherited from her ancestors.
The Duchess of Alba owns five ducal titles, 18 titles of a Marquise, 19 of a Countess, one of a Viscountess, and one of a Baroness. Her main title – “Duchess of Alba de Tormes” – is one of the most prestigious in Spanish history.
Namely, the Dukes of Alba were once among the most powerful aristocrats in Europe. The first Duke of Alba – Don García Álvarez de Toledo – lived back in the Middle Ages.
The most famous member of the family was the third Duke of Alba – Don Fernando Álvarez de Toledo y Pimentel – majordomo, viceroy and a general of the kings Charles V and Philip II from the golden age of Spain. He is notorious for his violent repression of the Dutch struggle for independence from Spain.
Today’s Duchess of Alba is the 18th person who carries this exalted title. Her wealth is estimated at several billion euros, but the amount is difficult to accurately determine.
She owns a substantial number of historic palaces throughout Spain, paintings of Velazquez and Goya, letters written by Christopher Columbus, the first edition of Don Quixote, and sizeable lands.