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| Spain's richest duchess dies aged 88 | Spain's richest duchess dies aged 88 |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The Duchess of Alba, Spain's richest woman and one its most eccentric figures, has died aged 88 in Seville. | The Duchess of Alba, Spain's richest woman and one its most eccentric figures, has died aged 88 in Seville. |
| Maria del Rosario Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart had more titles than any other aristocrat and owned palaces and an extensive property portfolio as well as paintings by Goya and Velazquez. | Maria del Rosario Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart had more titles than any other aristocrat and owned palaces and an extensive property portfolio as well as paintings by Goya and Velazquez. |
| She died at home on Thursday after a short illness. | She died at home on Thursday after a short illness. |
| The duchess is survived by her husband of three years, Alfonso Diez, who is 25 years her junior. | |
| The Duchess of Alba was the head of one of Spain's oldest noble families. | The Duchess of Alba was the head of one of Spain's oldest noble families. |
| Spain's 'rebel noble' - by Fiona Govan, Madrid | Spain's 'rebel noble' - by Fiona Govan, Madrid |
| The frizzy-haired eccentric aristocrat was one of Spain's most-loved figures whose antics filled the nation's gossip magazines and gripped the audiences of TV chat shows even during the final months of her long life. | The frizzy-haired eccentric aristocrat was one of Spain's most-loved figures whose antics filled the nation's gossip magazines and gripped the audiences of TV chat shows even during the final months of her long life. |
| Described as the "rebel noble", she spurned convention to forge her own path in life, following her passion for flamenco and, as a patron of the arts, amassing a private collection of masterpieces said to rival any in Europe. | Described as the "rebel noble", she spurned convention to forge her own path in life, following her passion for flamenco and, as a patron of the arts, amassing a private collection of masterpieces said to rival any in Europe. |
| Her exuberant character, complete with squeaky voice and flamboyant dress-sense, enraptured Spaniards who followed the vicissitudes of her 88 years. | Her exuberant character, complete with squeaky voice and flamboyant dress-sense, enraptured Spaniards who followed the vicissitudes of her 88 years. |
| Once a famed beauty who turned down a request to be Picasso's muse, she shocked the establishment when she married her confessor, a defrocked Jesuit priest, in 1978, six years after the death of her first husband with whom she had six children. | Once a famed beauty who turned down a request to be Picasso's muse, she shocked the establishment when she married her confessor, a defrocked Jesuit priest, in 1978, six years after the death of her first husband with whom she had six children. |
| But it was her third marriage to a civil servant 25 years her junior in 2011 that provoked an even bigger scandal, a union that was opposed by her children as well as King Juan Carlos of Spain, but that was welcomed by Spaniards as a colourful drama. | But it was her third marriage to a civil servant 25 years her junior in 2011 that provoked an even bigger scandal, a union that was opposed by her children as well as King Juan Carlos of Spain, but that was welcomed by Spaniards as a colourful drama. |
| The duchess was the world's most titled person, according to Guinness World Records. She was five times a duchess, 18 times a marchioness, 18 times a countess, 14 times a Spanish grandee and once a viscountess. | The duchess was the world's most titled person, according to Guinness World Records. She was five times a duchess, 18 times a marchioness, 18 times a countess, 14 times a Spanish grandee and once a viscountess. |
| She was a regular in Spanish gossip magazines and was famous for hosting Audrey Hepburn and Jackie Kennedy on their visits to Spain. | She was a regular in Spanish gossip magazines and was famous for hosting Audrey Hepburn and Jackie Kennedy on their visits to Spain. |
| In 1959, she turned her palace in Madrid over to French designer Yves Saint Laurent for a Dior fashion show. | In 1959, she turned her palace in Madrid over to French designer Yves Saint Laurent for a Dior fashion show. |
| One of the more memorable images from her latter years came when she flung off her shoes to perform an impromptu flamenco dance before a crowd of photographers and guests at her third wedding in 2011. | One of the more memorable images from her latter years came when she flung off her shoes to perform an impromptu flamenco dance before a crowd of photographers and guests at her third wedding in 2011. |
| "Together we have a wonderful time," her husband Alfonso Diez said in an interview with Vanity Fair magazine. | "Together we have a wonderful time," her husband Alfonso Diez said in an interview with Vanity Fair magazine. |
| "It often seems that I'm the older of the two," he said. | "It often seems that I'm the older of the two," he said. |
| Her wealth, estimated at between €600m (£380; $753m) and €3.5bn, is expected to be shared among her six children. | Her wealth, estimated at between €600m (£380; $753m) and €3.5bn, is expected to be shared among her six children. |