Now how’s this for “voluntary simplicity”… the Duchess of Alba, one of the wealthiest royals in Spain, is giving away her entire fortune (between $850 million and $5 billion) in order to marry the man she loves… a civil servant 24 years younger than her.
But wait, she’s giving the money to her children… so it’s not going far. (Apparently they’re against the wedding… wouldn’t $5 billion be enough to turn the other cheek while your mom robs the cradle?)
Yahoo! News reports:
Maria del Rosario Cayetana Alfonsa Victoria Eugenia Francisca Fitz-James Stuart y de Silva (yes, that’s one name) is one of the wealthiest women in all of Spain. She is worth somewhere between $850 million and $5 billion—but not for long. The Duchess of Alba, 85, is giving it all away so she can marry the man she loves.
This sounds like a plot to the latest Nicholas Sparks novel, but we assure you, this is nonfiction to the core. So, why is she giving her vast fortune away? The duchess’s six children were dubious about their mother’s plans to marry Alfonso Diez, a civil servant who is 24 years younger.
To help assuage their fears that the love may not be genuine, the duchess is going to give her fortune to her children. According to an article from the BBC, the duchess’s six children had been against the wedding. Earlier this year, the duchess remarked, “Alfonso doesn’t want anything. All he wants is me.”
Not surprisingly, news of the impending wedding sparked a flurry of web searches. Online lookups for “duchess marries” and “spain duchess fortune” were both incredibly popular, as computer users have sought the scoop on the unlikely love story.
What do you think—an incredibly romantic or incredibly foolish gesture? And is there something to this story we’re not hearing? (Tax loophole anybody?)
One thought on “Duchess Gives Away Her Fortune to Marry”
If both of them love each other why not give them chance to be happy together! Why her kids against the happiness of their mother though all wealth distrubuted to them????