Spain's richest woman, the Duchess of Alba, dies at 88

The Duchess of Alba, the richest women in Spain and a longstanding fixture on the gossip pages, died Thursday in Seville following a short illness. She was 88.

Maria del Rosario Cayetana Fitz-James Stuary was a member of one of Spain's oldest noble families, with an estimated wealth of at least $753 million. Known as the "rebel noble," she owned masterpieces, loved flamenco, let Yves Saint Laurent use her home for a Dior fashion show, and turned down Picasso's request to be his muse.

The Guinness World Records says she was the most titled person: As the BBC reports, she was five times a duchess, 18 times a marchioness, 18 times a countess, 14 times a Spanish grandee, and once a viscountess. The duchess was married three times, including once to a defrocked Jesuit priest. She is survived by her children and her third husband.

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