Cayetana Álvarez de Toledo emerges as Feijóo's outspoken right-hand figure

Cayetana Álvarez de Toledo, a historian with a doctorate from Oxford and a background in journalism at El Mundo, has been elevated by Alberto Feijóo to serve as his principal lieutenant for the forthcoming elections. Having previously aligned with Rajoy and Casado, she now champions a confrontational approach toward the PSOE, repeatedly criticizing ministers like Félix Bolaños and Pedro Sánchez for alleged bureaucratic excesses. Álvarez de Toledo also carries the aristocratic title of XIV marquesa de Casa Fuerte, inherited from her father, and maintains connections with European royalty.

Her parliamentary record includes sharp rebukes of left-wing policies on gender violence and Catalan independence, as well as a legal victory defending her freedom of expression. Feijóo’s selection underscores a strategic shift toward a more outspoken, ideologically driven campaign within the PP.