On the eve of the Christmas holidays, a historic event is brewing in one of Spain’s most illustrious aristocratic families, the House of Alba. The current head of the family, Carlos Fitz-James Stuart, has decided to end a longstanding feud and has invited his brother Cayetano to the traditional Christmas Eve dinner. This gesture of reconciliation is something their late mother, the famous Duchess Cayetana, had long hoped for.
The last time all six of the Duchess’s children—Carlos, Alfonso, Jacobo, Fernando, Cayetano, and Eugenia—gathered at the same table in Madrid’s Liria Palace was more than a decade ago. Back then, their mother achieved what seemed impossible: she united everyone for a major family celebration. That gathering became a symbol of unity. However, after her passing, family ties began to fray. Cayetano Martínez de Irujo has not attended the Christmas dinner for eight years, and there were compelling reasons for his absence.
The rift began when Carlos, after inheriting the ducal title, changed the guest list. He excluded Genoveva Casanova, Cayetano’s former wife, who had remained part of the family even after their divorce. In response, Cayetano stood in solidarity and refused to attend the celebration without the mother of his children. Since then, his seat at the Christmas Eve table has remained empty.
It seems the ice has finally started to melt. This year, the invitation is addressed not only to Cayetano, but also to his current partner Bárbara Mirjan, as well as his children Luis and Amina. No one is expecting Genoveva Casanova to return, as she has begun a new life between Mexico and the United States. This move toward reconciliation did not come out of the blue. It was preceded by key moments: the brothers’ recent warm embrace at a wedding in Seville, which ended their public disputes, and Cayetano’s summer meeting with his sister Eugenia in Sotogrande, where they buried the hatchet with a smile.
If Cayetano accepts the invitation, he will be welcomed into an evening steeped in traditions established by his mother. On Christmas Eve, the main dining room of the Liria Palace is set for an elegant feast: seafood bisque, blinis with caviar, turkey, and for dessert, English pudding. After dinner, the family usually attends midnight Mass in the palace chapel. Here, gifts are traditionally opened on December 24, as it was the only day when all the Duchess’s children were guaranteed to be together. The following day, on Christmas itself, the family would typically dine at one of their favorite restaurants, since the staff were given the day off. Now all of Spain is waiting with bated breath: will the long-awaited reunion finally take place within the old palace walls?
