Cayetano Martínez de Irujo (62 years old) is going through one of the most delicate moments in recent years. Months after crossing the altar with Bárbara Mirjan, the Duke of Arjona continues to recover from herniated disc surgery that … complicated by infection. However, far from stopping, he found an unexpected driving force in professional and family memory: preparing for the centenary of his mother, the Duchess of Alba, who will be celebrated in March 2026.
The date is not minor. Next March 28 will mark the centenary of the birth of Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart, one of the most influential, charismatic and recognizable figures of the Spanish aristocracy of the 20th century. And her son played a leading role in organizing a tribute that seeks to go beyond the institutional framework to save the most human, cultural and vital profile of “the duchess of them all”.
A book to tell the woman behind the myth
One of the central axes of this tribute will be the publication of the book ‘The Last Duchess’. Tribute to Cayetana, a unique woman, who will be born in March 2026, like “Hello! revealed. This is Cayetano’s most personal project, who wanted to pay homage to the woman from whom he inherited, in his own words, a profound “human heritage”.
Although previews of the content have not yet been revealed, the work is presented as an intimate and documented story that will allow us to rediscover the Duchess up close: his family lifehis overflowing personality, his relationship with culture and his ability to connect with very different generations.
To shape the book, Count de Salvatierra benefited from the collaboration of key people in his mother’s life. Among them, several family members, such as his sons Carlos and Fernando; her widower, Alfonso Díez; and some of his grandchildren, including Tana Rivera and Luis and Amina Martínez de Irujo y Casanova. They are joined by the journalist and academic Luis María Ansón, a key figure in Spanish journalism, who provides his testimony as a close friend of the Duchess.
A century-old thought as a vital journey
The book will be only one element of an ambitious program of events which will extend over several months and which seeks to address the figure of Cayetana from multiple angles: political, artistic, family and social.
Among the most notable events is the exhibition “Cayetana: A Life in Dueñas”, which will open on March 4, 2026 at the Dueñas Palace, one of the most emblematic places in her personal history. The presentation of the documentary Cayetana is also planned. The Duchess of All, who will be celebrated on March 26.
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