Photos of Spanish society wedding between Belén Corsini and the Count of Osorno

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The grandson of Spain‘s wealthiest woman tied the knot with his glamorous fiancée on 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. 

Official photographs released yesterday give the first 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. 

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.

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. 

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.

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.