Spanish aristocrat Fernando Fitz-James Stuart and his wife Sofía Palazuelo have christened their baby daughter, who is named Rosario after his late grandmother the ‘richest woman in Spain.’
Fernando, 29, Duke of Huéscar and heir apparent of the dukedom of Alba, looked dapper in a suit, while radiant wife Sofía opted for a cream dress and face mask, which perfectly complemented the traditional lace christening gown and bonnet worn by her daughter.
Her parents, grandparents and aunt and uncle were also in attendance at the service which took place in Seville, Spain on Saturday.
The couple, who tied the knot in a lavish ceremony in 2018, welcomed their daughter Rosario at Madrid’s Hospital Nuestra Señora del Rosario in early September last year.
Spanish aristocrat Fernando Fitz-James Stuart and his wife Sofía Palazuelo arrived at the royal christening of their daughter Rosario, the future Duchess of Alba, in Seville, Spain, this weekend (pictured)
The Duke of Alba Carlos Fitz-James Stuart, Sofia Palazuelo with Rosario Fitz-James Stuart Palazuelo and Fernando Fitz-James Stuart pose upon their arrival at the parish of San Roman on May 29
The baby was named in honour of Fernando’s grandmother, the late Duchess of Alba, María del Rosario Cayetana Alfonsa Victoria Eugenia Francisca Fitz-James Stuart y de Silva, who was known as Spain’s richest woman.
It’s been a busy few weeks for the Alba dynasty – after her uncle Carlos Fitz-James Stuart y Solís, the Count of Osorno, tied the knot just last weekend.
The grandson of Spain‘s wealthiest woman tied the knot with his glamorous fiancée last Saturday in a high society wedding that was the picture of pared-back elegance.
Carlos Fitz-James Stuart y Solís, the Count of Osorno, wed his fiancée Belén Corsini at Liria Palace in Madrid, an 18th century estate that has been in Carlos’ family for centuries, bringing together two of Spain’s wealthiest families, the Albas and the Corsinis.
Sofía opted for a cream dress and face mask, which perfectly complemented the traditional lace christening gown and bonnet worn by her daughter. Pictured, with Fernando Fitz-James Stuart
The couple, who tied the knot in a lavish ceremony in 2018, welcomed their daughter Rosario at Madrid’s Hospital Nuestra Señora del Rosario in early September last year
The Duke of Alba Carlos Fitz-James Stuart, Sofia Palazuelo with Rosario Fitz-James Stuart Palazuelo and Fernando Fitz-James Stuart
Official photographs offered a glimpse inside the intimate ceremony, from the service to the first dance.
Guests were photographed arriving at the event on Saturday but photographers were not allowed inside the family compound.
Belén looked breathtaking in a figure-skimming white gown by Spanish brand Navascués with playful puff shoulders, long sleeves and a delicate detachable tulle train topped with family heirloom fabric from her maternal grandmother.
Typically understated, the bride kept her beauty, hair and accessories simple, choosing a pair of diamond earrings and wearing her hair swept back into a bun pinned with a glittering hairpiece.
Bridal party: The newlyweds were joined by bridesmaids and pageboys wearing casual summer ensembles
The Count of Orsno’s dashing red uniform
The groom wore the Gala uniform of the Real Maestranza de Caballería de Sevilla (RMS), or the Royal Cavalry Armory of Seville, a chivalric order dating back to 1248.
Ferdinand III of Castile, and the knights who fought with him to take Seville, founded a knighthood fraternity dedicated to Saint Hermenegild.
In 1670, a new brotherhood was established to to train nobles in the use of arms and war horsemanship in order to better serve the Spanish Crown. It also served to train officers for the army.
The first women were admitted to the order in 2015.
Membership of the order is hereditary, with noble descendants of the knights known for their dedication to the preservation of cultural life in Seville and to charity.
Now more of a ceremonial institution, the uniform is sometimes worn by noblemen to their weddings, it is currently led by King Felipe of Spain.
Carlos’ father, uncle and older brother all wore the uniform to their weddings.
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Meanwhile the groom Carlos looked dashing in the Gala uniform of the Real Maestranza de Caballería de Sevilla (RMS), or the Royal Cavalry Armory of Seville, a chivalric order created in 1670 currently led by King Felipe of Spain.
Other photos show the couple walking hand-in-hand through the ornamental gardens and posing inside the palace’s grand reception rooms.
Belén is the great-granddaughter of Carlos Corsini Senespleda, engineer and founder of the construction and public works company Corsan, which was sold for 325 million euros in 2004.
The Count is the youngest son of the 19th Duke of Alba, who inherited an estimated £2.2billion worth after the late Duchess of Alba passed away in November 2014.
The event marked the biggest society wedding of the last 18 months after scores of aristocrats across Europe were forced to put plans for their lavish nuptials on hold due to the pandemic.
Spain’s looser Covid-19 restrictions meant up to 300 guests could dance the afternoon away indoors, but it is understood the couple still kept numbers down and chose to have the ceremony outside in the Versailles gardens.
A handful of Spain’s biggest names flocked to the must-see event, including the Count’s older brother Fernando Fitz-James Stuart and his wife Sofia Palazuelo, who wed in 2018.
Designer Ines Domecq, who has dressed the Queen of Spain, was also in attendance, alongside artist and designer Alejandra Domínguez.
Mother of the groom: Matilde Solis, right, wore a dramatic red ensemble for her younger son’s society wedding
Father of the bride: Juan Carlos Corsini Munoz de Rivera walked his daughter down the aisle in the beautiful gardens
Marriage vows: The couple decided to hold the wedding outside in the gardens of the Liria Palace in Madrid
When the Duke of Huéscar married Ms Palazuelo at the same estate in 2018, there were 750 guests including Queen Sofia of Spain.
Hundreds of people lined the streets and took pictures of those arriving, including the Duke’s niece, Brianda Fitz-James Stuart.
Belen’s family were also in attendance, with Alejandra Corsini and Alejandro Munoz celebrating the family affair in the Spanish capital.
The groom is the grandson of the late Duchess of Alba, or María del Rosario Cayetana Alfonsa Victoria Eugenia Francisca Fitz-James Stuart y de Silva, to give her the full name.
High society: The happy couple with (l-r) Monica de Lacalle, the Duke of Alba, the Duchess of Calabria, Juan Carlos Corsini, Matilde Solas and the Duke of Calabria
The Count of Osorno came into serious wealth after the death of his grandmother, María del Rosario Cayetana Alfonsa Victoria Eugenia Francisca Fitz-James Stuart y de Silva , seven years ago.
Worth an estimated £2.2billion, the Spanish duchess was one of Europe’s wealthiest aristocrats when she passed away in November 2014 at her Seville residence, Duenas Palace.
Friends, relatives and well-wishers paid their respects to the duchess, also known as ‘Cayetana’, after she died following a battle with pneumonia.
Twice widowed before marrying a friend: The three husbands of Spain’s richest woman the Duchess of Alba
The twice-widowed duchess first married aged 21 in 1947 to fellow aristocrat Luis Martinez de Irujo in a wedding on a scale to rival that of Britain’s Princess Elizabeth later that year.
The marriage, to Don Pedro Luis Martines de Irujo, son of the Duke of Sotomayor, was described by the New York Times as ‘Spain’s most elaborate social event since the end of the monarchy’.
One thousand guests attended the formal banquet while free meals were served to another thousand needy locals.
Wearing a pearl and diamond crown, she rode to Seville Cathedral in a horse-drawn carriage with thousands of well-wishers lining the streets to cheer her. The couple had six children.
The duchess, who favoured an eccentric clothing style, sporting beaded anklets and fishnet tights well into her eighties, married former Catholic priest Jesus Aguirre Ortiz de Zarate six years after the death of her first husband in 1972.
The marriage scandalised Spanish high society because she was marrying a former Jesuit priest, Jesus Aguirre, who was 11 years younger than her and had been her confessor.
Jesus Aguirre died in 2001. Her courtship with dashing civil servant Alfonso Diez then gripped the nation, aroused disapproval from Queen Sofia and was openly opposed by her six children.
Before tying the knot with 61-year-old Diez in 2011, the duchess divided her fortune between her offspring to silence their protests.
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Her husband Alfonso Diez, who was 24 years her junior, is thought not to have received any of her fortune, which included an impressive property portfolio, 50,000 pieces of artwork and 18,000 rare books, after he signed a document renouncing any claim to her wealth prior to their marriage in October 2011.
Instead, the Duchess – who is a direct royal descent from King James II of England – left her entire estate to her six children, with them each receiving a palace, as well as thousands of acres of land. Her eight grandchildren are also said to have inherited a substantial chunk of her estate.
A relative of Winston Churchill, the duchess shared toys with England’s future Queen Elizabeth while living in England as a girl.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk
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