A Blog by the Editor of The Middle East Journal

Putting Middle Eastern Events in Cultural and Historical Context

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

In the Midst of Egypt's Turbulent Present, a Echo of the Distant Past: Princess Fawzia Dies at 91

Princess Fawzia
Princess Fawzia Fuad of Egypt, last surviving sister of King Farouq and onetime Queen of Iran, died today in Alexandria at the age of 91.

Born in 1921 to then-Sultan (later King) Fuad I of Egypt and Queen Nazli, she was married in 1939 to the Crown Prince of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who became Shah in 1941. She was Queen of Iran (only the Shah's third wife held the title of Empress) until she and the Shah divorced (she obtained an Egyptian divorce in 1945 but this was not recognized by Iran until 1948). Her proper form of address back in Egypt until the 1952 Revolution was "Her Imperial and Royal Highness," acknowledging both her Egyptian and Iranian titles.

Farouq, Fawzia, and the Future Shah
Princess Fawzia remarried in Egypt, and lived quietly in Alexandria as the oldest surviving member of the Royal Family.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Incredible! I thought she had died some time ago. At least she avoided the fate of her mother and sister in California.

A Time Magazine cover story back then named her "the most beautiful woman in the world." She was married to ex-Army officer Ismail Cherine. There are pictures of them [she carrying a small dog] bidding farewell to her brother and his family as they set sail for Italy.