The Wedding of the Year

Source: Foto de Sandy Millar en Unsplash

Spain's Duchess of Alba remarries at 85 in Seville

The Duchess of Alba, one of Spain's richest and most flamboyant women, has got married again at the age of 85 to a civil servant 24 years her junior.

The aristocrat married Alfonso Diez Carabantes at a palace in Seville, emerging to throw her wedding bouquet into the crowd and dance flamenco.

She wore a salmon-pink knee-length dress with moss-green sash.

The duchess, who has a record number of noble titles, had to overcome her children's suspicions about the union.

According to Guinness World Records, the duchess - whose full name is Maria del Rosario Cayetana Alfonsa Victoria Eugenia Francisca Fitz-James Stuart y de Silva - has more titles recognised by an existing government than any other noble.

She has wealth to match, with estates, palaces and treasures including art masterpieces estimated to be worth up to 3.5bn euros (£3bn; $4.7bn).

At her first wedding in 1947, 1,000 guests watched the 21-year-old bride, wearing gems even then worth $1.5m, marry Luis Martinez de Irujo y Artazcoz.

The New York Times reportedly called it "Spain's most elaborate social event since the end of the monarchy".

Children's objections

Just a few dozen friends and relatives attended Wednesday's lunchtime service in the chapel of the duchess's 15th Century Palacio de las Duenas in Seville.

The twice-widowed aristocrat met her new husband, a social security administration employee, through her second husband, a former priest who died in 2001.

The couple bumped into each other about three years ago outside a cinema in Madrid and eventually started dating, the Associated Press news agency reports.

Before her wedding, the duchess spoke candidly of the travails she faced overcoming her children's objections.

"They don't want me to marry, but they change partners more often than I do," the duchess previously said about her children, according to the UK's Daily Telegraph.

"The tough part was that my children didn't understand and they got quite angry with me.

"It's true that I planned to marry. We were both full of enthusiasm for the idea. I took a step back for my children. I saw that everything was going to be very complicated."

To allay their suspicions of her prospective husband, she divided up her wealth between her six children and grandchildren, and Mr Diez has reportedly also relinquished his rights to her fortune.

Many Seville residents, however, supported the duchess's decision to marry for a third time.

"Age has nothing to do with it - as long as there is love, that's the most important thing," Seville resident Concepcion Arrincon told AFP news agency.


Vocabulary:

superar:

según:

la multitud:

una faja:

calcular:

riqueza:

un invitado:

la novia:

una boda:

extravagante:

valer:

hasta (un número):

enviudada:

enfrentarse a:

difícil:

dar un paso atrás:

disipar:

renunciar a:

según se informa:

no tener nada que ver con algo:

con tal de que / siempre que:


Duchess of Alba marries toyboy  (Daily Mail)

Duchess of Alba wedding - 10 must know facts  (Telegraph)


What is your opinion about the marriage?

Do you think they married for love?

Do you know any other "oldies" who have got married?

Comments

Anonymous said…
Hi Graham:

I´m José from Ministry. I am reading your blog. I have content for long time. My opinion about the marriage the Duchess of Alba to the civil servant Alfonso Diez Carabantes is that everyone can do what each likes. I respect them, even I don´t mind because everybody is a world and has reasons and circumstances that we unknown its. Personality I think that the best important is that everyone does what likes always doesn ´t upset to the other people.

Nevertheless, it ´s strange phenomenon that a woman, at the age of 85, has had a loving relationship with a man, 24 year younger than her.

See you soon.

José.

jg.olmo@icam.es
Graham said…
Hi José!

How are things? Have you finished all the "Casa Mira turron" yet?

I have had a nice break from internet - I was expecting to return to find A LOAD OF posts from you. So I suppose you decided to have a break too.

Anyway, it's back to work now...


IT'S José from THE Ministry. I am reading your blog. THERE IS ENOUGH TO KEEP ME GOING for A LONG TIME. My opinion about the marriage the Duchess of Alba to the civil servant Alfonso Diez Carabantes is that everyone IS FREE TO DO WHAT HE OR SHE WANTS. I respect them, even I don´t mind because everybody is a world and has reasons and circumstances that ARE UNKNOWN TO US. PERSONALLY I think that the MOST IMPORTANT THING IS that everyone CAN DO WHAT THEY LIKE AS LONG AS THEY DON'T upset/BOTHER other people.

Nevertheless, it ´s A strange phenomenon that a woman, at the age of 85, has had a loving relationship with a man, 24 YEARS younger than her.


I just hope that you read this reply. It's important to see your mistakes and learn from them.

See you next week. I'M NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO 8 o'clock lessons though :D