A Blog by the Editor of The Middle East Journal

Putting Middle Eastern Events in Cultural and Historical Context

Friday, August 16, 2013

Tanned, Rested and Ready to Rule? Ex-King Fuad II Reappears

Oh, hell, has it gotten this bad? A (presumably Egyptian?) "Liberal Royalist Movement" (Huh? Please don't ask me) has posted this photo of Egypt's last king, Ahmad Fuad II, who was deposed when he was a year old and in exile, on Facebook:
He's spent all but about six months of his life in Europe and when interviewed by Arabic channels always speaks in French, but hey, there are leadership issues in Egypt, right? Are they hinting it's time for the Return of the King?

I suppose the monarchy could be restored. I'd put the odds somewhere between a Martian conquest installing a lizard king and conversion of the whole country to Lubavitcher Hasidism, but hey, anything's possible. Maybe he could pull a sword from a stone or something.

King Fuad II has one major thing going for him: having left the country as a babe in arms he may be the only literate adult Egyptian who hasn't contributed to the present problems.

Too bad he doesn't actually speak the language, has probably spent less time in Egypt than I have, and increasingly looks way too much like his late father, King Farouq, remembered mostly for corruption, weakness, and an allegedly awesome collection of pornography. Sure makes you yearn for another King.

Commenters: I'm kidding. I'm not a monarchist even in cute countries like the UK and Scandinavia since my Irish ancestors haunt me if I even watch Royal Baby news, which is hard to avoid. The Muhammad ‘Ali dynasty has about the same chance of being restored as the Ptolemies do, and Cleopatra was a hell of a lot sexier and had spent more time in Egypt, so if we can find a Ptolemy claimant . . . Keep enjoying Switzerland, King Fuad.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Perhaps an indication of the profound bankruptcy of Egypt's so-called "liberals".

They have no ideology except wanting power. Unfortunately for them, so does Sisi and he has the guns.

They have nothing but their ambition and hypocrisy.

Anonymous said...

These guys appear at just the right moment. Remember "Sherif" Ali with his miniscule monarchist movement in Iraq?

Actually, Ahmed Fuad has spent time in Egypt, more and more as he has gotten older, with business ties in both France and Egypt. He traveled to Alexandria to visit his mother who did not hang around in Europe for too long in exile, going home and remarrying instead.

Ahmed Fuad regained his Egyptian citizenship in a deal with Anwar Sadat in which he exchanged it for his own abdication, belatedly recognizing that the monarchy was no more.

Early in his marriage to a French social-climber, the now ex-wife went to Egypt to give birth to each of their children "just in case" the monarchy were to be restored.

His remaining elder sister who grew up in Swizerland now resides in Cairo, where her daughter is married to an Egyptian.