The Duchess of Alba is 85 years-old. Phil Poynter/Vanity Fair
Her Excellency Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart y Silva, 18th Duchess of Alba de Tormes, Grandee of Spain, a descendant of the Stuart kings of Scotland and England, is on the cover of the June issue of Vanity Fair Spain and actually looks somewhat better than usual. The 85 year-old aristocrat is one of the most famous plastic surgery addicts in Europe, and a fixture in the Spanish social scene. She represents a remnant of one of the most exclusive, and unusual, European aristocracies and her ancestors resided in a court that was (along with Court of Austria) the most rigid and formal in Europe. Spain, unlike most European noble establishments, allows titles to easily be inherited by women and transmitted through women to their descendants and the Duchess of Alba became the most titled person in Spain (outside of the royal family) when she inherited more than three dozen titles (including seven dukedoms) from her parents, in the 1950s. Indeed, the mother of seven has a fascinating personal and family history that has not been adequately examined by the American press. The Duchess is a tigress and we have not seen the last of her on Robots in Masquerade.
Her Excellency The Duchess of Alba in 1956. She was quite a beauty, especially for Spain where the noble ladies do not have the reputation for looks.
