Maria del Rosario Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart y Silva, 18th Duchess of Alba de Tormes, better known as simply the Duchess of Alba and close to marking her 88th birthday, has, according to Guinness World Records, more titles recognized by an existing government than any other noble in the world, more than 40!
However, the matter has been raised in the press that if Scotland obtains independence, she could become their rightful Queen.
Known to her friends and family as Cayetana, in October 2011, she married a man 24 years her junior despite the opposition of her family and the King of Spain. She gave her children their inheritance in advance, and her new husband renounced any claim on her wealth, estimated at as much as €3.5 billion.
She is a direct descendent of King James II of England and VII of Scotland, the last Monarch to reign north of Hadrian’s Wall, between 1685 and 1688, and the great-great-great-great-granddaughter of James Fitz-James, the illegitimate son of King James VII of Scotland.
The Duchess is rumoured to be quite keen on the idea and has the money to help the independence movement gather strength as well as helping what would be the world’s newest country to get on its feet. Plus Cayetana could add yet another title to her list; probably the most prestigious she could ever hope to have.
The other ‘candidate’, Duke of Bavaria Franz Bonaventura Adalbert Maria Herzog von Bayern, is reportedly ‘not really that interested’.
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