Relations with her sons were difficult.
She once said she opposed to the marriage of her 2nd son to Pss Maria of Hohenlohe, thinking the two were incompatible.
OTOH she kept a good relation with Jacobo's 1st wife , as well as with Eugenia's torero husband, after their divorces.
Don't know what she thought of Matilde, Carlos' wife, after their divorce.
But she seemed to keep in good terms with Matilde's mother, a senior lady of the spanish aristocracy
AFAIK, Cayetana’s first marriage was not an arranged one. Maybe not a love marriage, but very suitable.
Yes, as you say, all of her children’s marriages ended in divorce.
Their children were not close to her. They have told they had the typical education for their class, with nannies and not very much contact with their mother. Cayetano has told several times how miserable his childhood and adolescence was. Only in the last years of her life did he have a close relationship to his mother
Thank you, Manuel! Eugenia's face and posture in the wedding picture are certainly eloquent. I did remember that the marriage caused a scandal in Spain, but did not know these details. I had the impression that the Duchess's first marriage was an arranged one. Do you know if that was the case? I have read that the current Duke of Alba was very close to his father, and was devastated at his death. His own marriage seems to have been a very sad affair, and I know that Eugenia's did not last very long. Did any of the Duchess's children make lasting marriages? Did they have a good relationship with their mother? I don't get the sense that they did, but again, I don't read Spanish (I must learn to do so...I had many years of French and Latin, so I can already make out a bit.) I did manage to read between the lines of the N&R story where Princess Irene was concerned, and guessed that the family (as you say, specifically the King) got her away from Aguirre.
Here I am, Catherine. Fortunately, I read Spanish and French.
The story is not "breaking news". What the story on N&R tells has been commented in the Spanish press and in books for years. So, nothing new. The news is the comment by Eugenia, Duchess of Montoro, on a TV show. N&R summarises very well the story and what she told on that show. After her comments, her brother Cayetano supported her, while the rest have not made comments. Her former sister-in-law spoke to a TV gossip programme and confirmed the facts. Several articles in press and hours on TV to discuss about it. Most journalists have supported Eugenia and her comments. Only one defended Aguirre: Jaime Peñafiel.
But TV and press went forward and also commented other aspects of Jesus Aguirre, mainly his sexual life. It seems his sexual orientation was not a secret.
About Jesus and Princess Irene, it is nothing new, either. Jesus was a social climber, let's say. He was the son of a single mother, very intelligent, yes. He tried to seduce Princess Irene. It is said that King Juan Carlos told him to stay far from her. Then he got another prey, the Duchess of Alba. The marriage was a scandal, at that time.
The eldest sons of the Duchess did not "suffer" him. They were already adults when their mother married Jesus. Cayetano and Eugenia, on the contrary, were very young. So, they have different perspectives.
I hope this post has been informative. If you want some more details, just ask.
I read French, but not Spanish, and I am interested in hearing what Spanish posters on this board (Manuel?) think about this story on Noblesse & Royautes: http://www.noblesseetroyautes.com/jesus-aguirre-duc-dalbe-1934-2011-lorsque-les-langues-se-delient/ . The gist of the story is that, shortly after the fourth anniversary of the death of the Duchess of Alba, several of her children broke silence to express their intense dislike of their mother's second husband, Jesus Aguirre y Ortiz de Zarazate. They accuse him of being (among other things) mean, domineering and manipulative, and of making them feel they should be grateful to him for having saved their family fortunes through good management. Some commenters on the site responded that the six children of the Duchess showed at the time of her third marriage that they cared primarily for their inheritances, not for their mother. Another interesting point made in the article is that the late Duke was close to Princess Irene of Greece before he met and married the Duchess. I'm curious how this story was received in Spain. Thanks in advance for any feedback from our posters there.
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