The Duchess of Alba and The Priest That Loved Her

The Duchess of Alba marries Jesus Aguirre while her eldest son, the Duke of Huescar, looks on.

As we continue to commemorate the recently-announced marriage of Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart y Solis, 18th Duchess of Alba to Alfonso Diez, a "civil servant", the present is a convenient time to take a look back at the last (second) marriage of the duchess, which was to a former priest named Jesus Aguirre in 1978.  As we know, the duchess's first husband, Pedro Luis Martinez de Irujo had passed away in 1972, and the duchess took six years to make it to the altar with the fallen priest that she loved and who seemed to love her.  At this point (in 1978), the Duchess had begun to acquire a bit of the look that she has carried with her to the present: large, afro-like shock of red hair as coiffure, and subtle smile to her closed-lipped, drawn in face.  The second marriage of the duchess took place in her primary Madrid residence, the Palacio de Liria, a sumptuous palace museum in the center of town.  The duchess remained married to Jesus Aguirre until his death in 2001.  At that point, the duchess had been married to her two husbands for a total of 48 years (1947-1972 and 1978-2001).   As can be discerned from the picture below, the duchess's family assisted in the private wedding with Aguirre at the Palacio de Liria, but it seems that, with the present family opposition to Mr. Diez, they shall not be assisting at her forthcoming marriage.  Oh well.  She has plenty of time to make another visit to Dr. Chop-en-Stein, elite plastic surgeon to the mentally numb, fickle, and vain, while she attempts to sort things out with her sons.

Click image to enlarge

"A fallen priest is the perfect husband because he can explain to me what the fuck is going on when we go to Mass!  Me gusta!"

Cayetana Is At It Again: Duchess of Alba To Marry Gigolo

"Do I tengo el tiempo to go to el Doctor Chop-en-Stein antes de mi WEDDING?"

And by "gigolo" I mean "civil servant" because if you are the direct descendant of the Stuart Kings of Scotland and England a "civil servant" is really scraping the bottom of the barrel.  She might as well have married the stable boy or the chimney sweep (Yes, I realize that a "chimney sweep" is an essentially British reference).  Let's just be honest.  But Cayetana Fitz-James-Stuart, 18th Duchess of Alba and Grandee of Spain (in addition to 45 other titles) has never been one to follow the rules, the latest trends, perhaps, but not the rules.  Just look at her.  Her Excellency is doing her utmost to give Jocelyn Wildenstein (AKA the Bride of Wildenstein) a run for her money in the plastic surgery department.  But somehow the Duchess of Alba is able to pull off her surgeries with a measure of grace that one might expect from a royal descendant.  Before I am accused of pandering to the royals and aristocrats like an on-the-make Edwardian rake, how often do we get to see an actual blue blood do to their face what the Duchess of Alba has done to her own?

A ravishing Duchess of Alba with her fallen priest/second husband, Jesus Aguirre.  Take that, fucking Catholicos!

Although the Duchess of Alba has been linked to numerous people throughout the years (the ubiquitous flamenco dancers, matadors, etc.), I was surprised to be reminded that this is only her third marriage.  Mentally, I had given her an extra two or three, but I suppose I was confusing her with Elizabeth Taylor.  Her first marriage, of course, was to another aristocrat, Luis Martinez de Irujo, in 1947.  Her second marriage was the stuff of which 70s TV movies, telenovelas, and pillow books are made of: Her Excellency entered into blessed union with a former priest, the aptly named Jesus Aguirre.  As controversial as the marriage was at the time, the two seemed smitten with one another in wedding photographs and of course, it was de rigeur in the 70s to go against the grain and who would the duchess be if she did not follow the latest trends?  Now, the Duchess of Alba is set to marry Alfonso Diez, who comes in at a sprightly 61 years old to her (gasp) 85.  Well, she looks good for 85.  Details are still forthcoming, but perhaps, like the duchess's first marriage, this boda will take place in Seville, amidst the stifling idiocy of the other grandees of Spain.

Yannick Delgado, Cuban Seminary Student, Naturally Has Pics on Myspace and Facebook

...and he also has nearly 2 million hits on Google, which is rather impressive.  You know Yannick, he's the Cuban seminary student embroiled in allegations that Madrid priest Andres Garcia Torres had improper relations with him.  I don't know what's going on with the Catholic Church these days and how exactly they recruit new priests, but it is a little weird to see buff seminary students posing in Dolce & Gabbana underwear and posting the pics to their Myspace.  Is the only requirement for being a priest having a penis?  Anyways, this case becomes more suspect the more I learn about it (but obviously that's only because I'm jumping to conclusions).  This Yannick Delgado character seems like a "fallen prelate" in training to me.  Could be wrong.

You didn't know?  Seminary school in Spain is the new "black"

Men In Black IV: Padres en el Seminario

Andres Garcia Torres, Spanish Priest, Defends Friendship With Seminary Student

A priest in Spain named Father Andres Garcia Torres defended a friendship (and the following picture) with a seminary student from Cuba by telling the Vatican: "Let them measure my anus and see if it is dilated."  I wonder how one says that in Latin?  It sounds like a line from Petronius's Satyricon.  Too academic?  Anyways, Father Torres reacted vehemently to the allegations by Bishop Getafe of Madrid that the picture below was evidence that Torres was getting jiggy with the Cuban exchange student (Thank you, 90s era Will Smith for the lingo).  Naturally, like practically every other Catholic priest accused (rightly or wrongly) of fraternizing with his parishioners, Torres claims that the accusations are false, which precipitated the comment above.  The Vatican has begun an investigation of Father Torres, who is now in danger of losing his parish in Spain.  In fact, according to dlisted, Bishop Getafe is demanding Torres's "resignation, a psychiatric evaluation, and an HIV test."  Wow.  There is as of yet no word on how the young man in the picture, named Yannick Delgado, is reacting to the allegations.

"Who says I can't spend quality alone time with this penurious, helpless Cuban seminary student?"

Frankly, the photo does appear a little suspect, mostly because both men are posing with their shirts off and are in very close proximity to one another, but this is Europe after all.  I am sure the two men went fishing naked in a small, secluded corner of Galicia, and after spending several hours alone in a cave decided to post some lighthearted pics to their respective Facebook pages.  Happens all the time.  Seriously though, the controversy surrounding this picture can be primarily attributed to: (1) the fact that the young man in the photo is handsome and is giving a dreamy-eyed pose, and (2) the prevalence of allegations of rape or other sexual misconduct by priests in the last fifty years.  If it were not for the sexual misconduct of Father Torres's peers all over the world (exposed by parents, journalists, muckrakers and the like), this sort of photo would not be newsworthy.  For one thing, it's just a picture of one guy with his arm around another guy (whether or not a priest should be shirtless in a picture is a separate issue).  It's not like they were cock wrestling or anything.  There was no suspicious milky white fluid visible anywhere.  Perhaps Bishop Getafe is the one that should be investigated since his interpretation of the picture (and the furor with which he began this investigation) may suggest that he has something to hide.  A recent study suggests that homophobic men are more likely to be aroused by gay porn than men that are not homophobes.  Something to think about.  I'll hold my tongue before I say that Father Torres is completely innocent since this is just the sort of case where other incriminating evidence pops up.  And I would hate to be the person asked to measure the dilation of Father Torres's anus.

La Familia de la Duquesa de Alba

Spain Week on this blog is officially over, but that doesn't mean we cannot take a closer look at the family of one of the most fascinating aristocrats in the world, Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart y Silva, Duquesa of Alba (Duchess of Alba).  The premier grandee in Spain, the Duchess of Alba is known for her colorful life, interesting and heavily-surgerized face, and great wealth.  But she, in fact, is the matriarch of one of the most important families in Spain and her children and grandchildren occasionally fall by the way side (at least in the international press) when it comes to media coverage.  Let's take a look at them, in particular three of her children and a couple of her grandchildren (as well as her new squeeze Alfonso Diez).

The whole Alba clan.

The eldest son of the Duchess, the 14th Duke of Huescar

The Duchess of Alba's daughter, the Duchess of Montoro (in the center)

The Duke of Huescar's eldest son, Fernando Fitz-James Stuart y Solis

Another grandson of the Duchess of Alba, Jacobo, the son of the 23rd Count of Siruela

The Duchess of Alba's love interest, Alfonso Diez, is 24 years her junior

The Many Looks of the Duchess of Alba

Spain Week on Robots in Masquerade is almost over so let's take another look at Her Excellency Cayetano Fit-James Stuart y Silva, Duchess of Alba.  These are some of her many looks over the years.  It's hard to believe that all of these pictures are of the same person, isn't it?

The Duchess of Alba marrying her second husband, a former priest

Robots In Vogue Spain

This Spanish photo shoot (snapped by photographer David Vasiljevic) has a Brazilian feel, which makes it pretty awesome.  I guess it's "Spain Week" on this blog!  (via Ohlalamag)

David Vasiljevic/Vogue Spain

The 1947 Marriage of The Duchess of Alba

To commemorate Her Excellency The Duchess of Alba landing the cover of Vanity Fair Spain, we have decided to go back in time and take a look at the 1947 marriage of Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart y Silva (then known as the Duchess of Montoro) to her first husband Luis Martinez de Irujo.  She married the son of the Duke of Sotomayor on October 12, 1947 in Seville and it was considered by some "the last great aristocratic marriage in Spain".  It appears here that the natural color of the duchess's hair is brown or auburn.  She resorted to dyeing it blond and then pure red in later life.

The Duchess of Montoro (Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart) with her father the 17th Duke of Alba (on her right) and her husband Luis Martinez de Irujo (on her left)

The Duchess of Montoro with her parents

The Duchess of Montoro cutting her fabulous cake with her new husband

An incredible newspaper clipping showing the marriage in Seville on October 12, 1947

The Duchess of Alba, Plastic Surgery Addict, On The Cover of Vanity Fair

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.

Federer-Nadal XXIV: Madrid Masters Semifinal

For the 24th time in their careers, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will meet on the ATP tour, tomorrow in the semifinals of the Madrid Open. Nadal leads their head-to-head series 15-8 and 10-2 on clay. Federer beat Robin Soderling while Nadal got a walkover when Juan Martin del Potro withdrew with a hip injury.
The last time they played, at the 2011 Miami Masters, Nadal won easily in straight sets.

Novak Djokovic maintained his 2011 unbeaten streak by surviving a 3-set struggle on the red dirt with David Ferrer. He has now won 30 matches this year, surpassing Ivan Lendl's 29-0 record from 1986. He still has far to before he can match John McEnroe's 1984 streak of 42 wins in a row. Djokovic will face Brazil's Thomaz Bellucci in his first Masters-level semifinal.

Nadal Wins 500th; Faces Ferrer in Barcelona Final

Rafael Nadal won his 500th ATP tour match on Saturday, setting up another showdown again with his countryman and good friend David Ferrer in the finals of the clay court tournament in Barcelona, Spain. Last week, Nadal beat Ferrer to win his record 7th consecutive title in Monaco. Nadal has won 28 straight matches in Barcelona as well, having won 5 consecutive titles here from 2005 through 2009 (and missing last year's event due to injury). He beat Ferrer in the 2008 and 2009 finals.

The Plastic Surgery of the Duchess of Alba

The Duchess of Alba in 1956.  She's always had full lips, which she has exaggerated with lip injections.

The Duchess of Alba is one of the premier grandees of the Kingdom of Spain, holding the Guinness record for most titles of a single person in the world.  Her full name is Maria del Rosario Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart y Silva 18th Duchess of Alba, and she is a descendant of King James II of England and Scotland, through the Dukes of Berwick.  She was born in 1926 and was a great beauty in her youth.  The duchess is currently 85 years old.  What she is perhaps best known for outside of Spain is her flamboyant personality and numerous surgical procedures.  Even the casual observer can spot the tell-tale signs of fat injections to the face, multiple rhinoplasties, and botox.  The following are the likely procedures that Her Excellency the Duchess of Alba has likely undergone: (1) face lift, (2) brow lift, (3) multiple rhinoplasties, (4) collagen or silicone lip injections, (5) fat injections to the face, (6) botox.  Because the duchess seems rather thin to begin with, it is unlikely that she has had face and neck liposuction, which is a rather common procedure for people that are plastic surgery addicted. The fat injections in particular (in addition to the botox) have assisted in eliminating the lines and wrinkles from her face, but rather than gaining the appearance of a healthy young beauty, she looks like a card carrying member of the undead or Jocelyn Wildenstein (a famous plastic surgery addict in New York).

The Duchess of Alba on the right with the Duchess of Cornwall in Spain last week