The woman with the most titles in the world but ...

Did the Queen of England really have to bow before the Duchess of Alba?

Yes, she was the woman with the most titles in the world. But no, the Queen of England did not have to curtsey to her.

Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart, who has died at the age of 88, was a duchess several times over, nearly 20 times a marchioness, another so many times a countess, and, what’s more, she was a viscountess, grand duchess and even a condestablesa. In total, she counted on more than 40 titles and held multiple decorations and honorary titles such as honorary citizen of Andalusia and of Seville. She was also awarded the gold medal of Madrid, and was the honorary mayoress of Liria.

All of this made her the person with most honorary titles in Spain, even more than the king and queen. But in contrast to the oft-repeated myth, she still had to curtsey in the presence of the Queen of England or any other monarch for that matter.

“There is no higher status than the queen (or king),” says Carlos Fuente, the director of the University Institute of Protocol at the Camilo José Cela University. “If the Duchess of Alba came face-to-face with the Queen of England, or of Spain, she would have to curtsey, as has happened in the past, in fact.” 

There are few images of that moment, but it did happen. An article published by EL PAÍS on October 19, 1988 recounting a meeting between the Queen of England and the Duchess of Alba at a gala dinner describes the moment the pair coincided at an official function:

There are few images of that moment, but it did happen. 

An article published by EL PAÍS on October 19, 1988 recounting a meeting between the Queen of England and the Duchess of Alba at a gala dinner describes the moment the pair coincided at an official function: “The Duchess of Alba’s greeting” (EL PAÍS. October 19, 1988) Last night in El Pardo palace the Queen of England hosted a gala dinner in honor of the king and queen, in return for the dinner they held the night before in the Royal Palace. The number of attendees at both events was around 150. Among those at the Royal Palace were the Duke and Duchess of Alba. Cayetana de Alba offered her respects to her old friend with a curtsey. 

The sovereign and the duchess spoke of their childhoods in London, when the father of Cayetana was ambassador in the court of Saint James and the then-young girl would visit the princess at Buckingham Palace. The duchess described the visit of the Queen of England as “wonderful” and “fantastic,” calling it “a unique event.” They had not seen each other since those times. In the Royal Palace, the duchess bowed before the British sovereign, in contrast to the popular belief that the number of titles bestowed on her means that she has preference over the Queen of England in a hypothetic hierarchy of honors. “That is just literature,” Cayetana de Alba said yesterday, while she awaited the arrival of Elizabeth II at the Prado Museum. 

What is true is that, in spite of the titles she possessed, the Duchess of Alba did not have a special place in the order of protocol. As is explained by Gerardo Correas, the president of the International School of Protocol and director of the Porotocol section at the European University, “a lot of legends have been created with respect to this. In Spain there is an order of precedent for authorities – a royal decree from 1983 – but it is just that, for the authorities, and the Duchess of Alba does not appear there. As such, in the order of precedence at an official event, she should be located according to the preference of the organizer.” But Correas adds that “given the ‘quality’ of her titles, she was without a doubt the number one in the world, given the number of honors from Spain that she had.” 

The Duchess of Alba is received by Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall. 

As we have seen more than once, even though the king and queen of Spain hold fewer titles, the Duchess of Alba always greeted them with a curtsey, “as is set by tradition, although these days it is a gesture that is used less and less often,” explains Correas.

 
Vocabulary:

to bow -

to curtsey -

several times over -

to hold (a title) -

to award -

for that matter -

as such -


Also read The Duchess of Alba: eight amazing facts     Source: The Local


Comments

Sir Joseph said…


Hi Graham,



Mrs. María del Rosario Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart y de Silva was a superwoman. She was getting titles like Mr. Cristiano Ronaldo, as such 20 times a marchioness, 20 trimes a countess, a viscountess, grand duchess, a condestablesa, Grandee of Spain and so on. She was the person with most honorary titles in Spain, even more than the king and queen. With so many titles everybody has to curtsey before her. That is just literature, said Mrs. María del Rosario. The Queen of England or the King and the Queen of Spain don´t have to curtsey before her. She would have to curtsey before them.



I don´t know why I have chosen this article because I don´t like the monarchy, neither the aristocracy. I think that they have always done nothing, any effort, to get targets. I know that I make a mistake because they are as the rest. I suppose that it is a cliché from the past, but I can´t remedy it.



Anyway, I laugh at so many titles. Why do they want to get titles? It´s possible that they want to show them to other aristocratics and they change them as if they were exchanging stickers. One thing it is the respect of everyone and another thing that you have to go the circus to play the clown.



I have seen the photo of de Mrs, María del Rosario bowing before the king and queen of Spain. I seem it ridiculous. It´s stupid that people have to bow before other people. When you greet other person, both are in the same position, but when you curtsey before other person, does it mean that you are less than other person? Everybody is the same.



See you.
Graham said…
Good afternoon Joseph,

Mrs. Fitz-James Stuart was indeed an eccentric character and life is more interesting with people who dare to be different to the norm. However, what put me off her was her love of bullfighting.



Mrs. María del Rosario Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart y de Silva was a superwoman. She was getting titles like Mr. Cristiano Ronaldo, such as 20 times a marchioness, 20 times a countess, a viscountess, grand duchess, a condestable, Grandee of Spain and so on. She was the person with most honorary titles in Spain, even more than the king and queen. With so many titles everybody had to curtsey before her. That is just a myth, said Mrs. María del Rosario. The Queen of England or the King and the Queen of Spain don´t have to curtsey before her. She would have to curtsey before them.

I don´t know why I have chosen this article because I don´t like the monarchy, nor the aristocracy. (But you call me an aristocrat) I think that they have always done nothing, never made any effort to achieve things in life. I know that I make a mistake because they are like everyone else. I suppose that it is a cliché from the past, but I can´t help it.

Anyway, so many titles makes me laugh. Why do they want to get titles? It´s possible that they want to show them to other aristocrats and they exchange them as if they were swapping stickers. One thing is the respect of others and another thing that you have to go the circus to play the clown.

I have seen the photo of Mrs, María del Rosario bowing before the king and queen of Spain. I think it is ridiculous. It´s stupid that people have to bow before other people. When you greet someone, both are in the same position, but when you curtsey before another person, does it mean that you are less than that person? Everybody is the same.