Carlos Fitz-James Stuart, 19th Duke of Alba


Carlos Fitz-James Stuart y Martínez de Irujo, 19th Duke of Alba de Tormes GE, is a Spanish aristocrat. He is the current Duke of Alba and thereby head of the House of Alba.

Life and career

He was born in Madrid and is the eldest son of Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart, 18th Duchess of Alba and her first husband, Luis Martínez de Irujo y Artázcoz.
In 1951, he became the 14th Duke of Huéscar; a title which was ceded to him by his grandfather Jacobo Fitz-James Stuart, 17th Duke of Alba and 13th Duke of Huéscar.
He obtained a degree in law at the Complutense University of Madrid and now works as an adviser for several cultural institutions, such as the Hispania Nostra Foundation, the Valencia de Don Juan Institute, and the Hispanic Society of America. The Duke of Alba is in charge of the House of Alba Foundation and, thus, in principle of a great deal of the significant House of Alba heritage and patrimony. He is also a Knight of the Real Maestranza de Caballería de Sevilla.
With the death of his mother in 2014, he became the 19th Duke of Alba and herewith in the possession of 39 titles. The succession of most of the titles were officially confirmed in 2015, except for the Lordship of Moguer and the County of Modica that have been inherited traditionally. Later in 2015, he subsequently ceded two titles, i.e. Duke of Huéscar to his elder son and heir-apparent Fernando, and Count of Osorno to his second and younger son Carlos.

Family

On 13 June 1988 he married Matilde de Solís-Beaumont y Martínez de Campos in the Seville Cathedral. She is the daughter of Fernando de Solís y Atienza, 10th Marquess of la Motilla, and his wife Isabel Martínez de Campos Rodríguez, daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Seo de Urgel. The couple had two children before their marriage was annulled in 2004:
Subsequently, between 2004 and 2006, he maintained a friendly relationship with Alicia Koplowitz, a magnate who ranked as Spain's richest woman in Forbes World's Richest People list.

Titles, styles and honours

Titles

;Dukedoms
;Count-Dukedoms
;Marquessates
;Countships
;Viscountcies
;Lordship