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The Duchess of Alba with her husband, Alfonso Dez, after their wedding in Seville. Photograph: Jorge Guerrero/AFP/Getty Images

Spains flamboyant Duchess of Alba has died age 88 after a short bout of pneumonia, the mayor of Seville has said.

Born in Madrid on 28 March 1926, the duchess whose full name was Maria del Rosario Cayetana Alfonsa Victoria Eugenia Francisca Fitz-James-Stuart y de Silva died on Thursday morning in her home, a 16th-century palace in Seville, with her six children and husband at her side.

Cayetana always had Seville in her heart and for this reason she will always remain in Sevilles heart. May she rest in peace, tweeted Sevilles mayor, Juan Ignacio Zoido, referring to the duchess by the name she was known by in Spain.

Her body will lie in state in the Andalusian capital, Spanish media reported.

One of Spains wealthiest aristocrats and a constant presence in Spains gossip press, the duchess became famous around the world in 2011 when she married Alfonso Dez, a civil servant 25 years her junior.

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Her decision provoked a family feud, with her children accusing Dez of being a gold-digger who was only interested in her fortune, estimated to be up to 3.5bn.

The duchess and her new beau fought back against the claims, with Dez signing a document renouncing all claim to her wealth. Alfonso doesnt want anything. All he wants is me, she told reporters. When that failed to calm the storm, the duchess made her will public, dividing up her land and castles among her six children, before the marriage. Still, the squabbling continued, leading the duchess to accuse one of her daughters-in-law live on TV of being lying, wicked and covetous.

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Spains eccentric Duchess of Alba dies aged 88