Beltrán Alfonso Osorio y Díez de Rivera, 18th Duke of Alburquerque

1918 Madrid, Spain - 1994 Madrid, Spain

BiographyBeltrán Alfonso Osorio y Díez de Rivera also known as the 'Iron Duke' of Alburquerque, was a Spanish peer and jockey. He was born in Madrid, his parents being Miguel Osorio y Martos, 17th Duke of Alburquerque, and Inés Díez de Rivera y Figueroa, daughter of the 5th Count of Almodóvar, who was also a Grandee.

In 1936, when he had not yet reached the legal age, he participated in the Spanish Civil War. At the end of the war, he entered the General Military Academy, from which he left with the rank of lieutenant. From 1954, and until 1993, he held the position of Head of the House of the Count of Barcelona, and for his service and dedication the monarch, Juan Carlos I of Spain, made him a knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece.

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