Soraya Estafandiary of Iran

[hilal]

Empress Farah Pahlavi from Princess Soraya:

You knew the Shah’s second wife, Soraya?
No, and I regret it. In my position it would have been easy for me to get
close to her. For her it was probably more difficult. Her passing away
really distressed me. I am sincere, I cried. She was part of history, and
she was part of my family, through my husband. Two of my children, Ali Reza
and Farahnaz, knew her and she was charming towards them. My son met her in
Switzerland and my daughter in Paris. I was overjoyed that my children were
happy to have known her.

What is your opinion of the Princess Soraya?

She had a very difficult life, extremely difficult. She was unable to have
children and from what I know she had many problems with certain members of
the royal family who did not treat her well. My husband because of this
refused to talk to them. She lived in solitude. Then, finally, when she
found happiness with the man she loved, he was killed in an air crash. I
long to meet the Shah’s first wife [Princess Fawzieh]. I would not want to
miss the opportunity as I did with the Princess Soraya.

[Queen Malka]

Do you think jealousy ever aroused between the Shah and Farah, after all even after their divorce it was clear that the Shah and Soraya were still emotionally attatched. In her memoirs, Farah wrote that when the Shah told her he loved her he said that "I've said it to only three people, and one of them is you..." If my husband ever refered to the fact of saying I Love You to someone else I'd literally beat him! But it was rather strange to see the calmness and acceptance of the Shah's enduring love towards Soraya (In the the 1970's there was a picture of him taken with Soraya's picture still on his desk) Was there ever behind closed doors marital problems?

[EmpressRouge]

Originally Posted by Queen Malka

But it was rather strange to see the calmness and acceptance of the Shah's enduring love towards Soraya (In the the 1970's there was a picture of him taken with Soraya's picture still on his desk) Was there ever behind closed doors marital problems?

Are you talking about this picture? I don't the date on it, but the Shah did look that in the 70s.
I was browsing through ebay again, and an edition of "Royal Romanaces" about the Shah and Soraya was/is up for sale. Horribly expensive, but there's a link to supersized scans of the pages, and it makes a good read. According to that:
The fur stole Soraya wore on her wedding day was a gift from Stalin (it was a cold winter's day in Feburary with limited heating in that palace, and Soraya was still weak from her recent near-death illness).
The Shah had several half-brothers who were ineligible for the Peacock throne because their mother had Qajar blood (the former dynasty that ruled Persia before the Pahlavis came to power). There was one half brother who WAS eligible, but he was killed in a plane crash 1954. The Shah and Soraya asked the Iranian gov't to amend the law that prevented Qajar descendents to inherit the throne, but the gov't refused. Thus the Shah was forced to divorce Soraya after she refused to participate in his temporary marriage.
Turns out Franco Indovina was not Soraya's only tragic loss. After Indovina's death, Soraya had other male companions and friends, but many of them died under tragic circumstances (drug overdose, murder, suicide; I'm starting to think that the Shah might have killed all of them off in a jealous rage).

[Reina]

Well I probably assumed he was talkign abou this mom and another relative.:o

Originally Posted by Queen Malka

Do you think jealousy ever aroused between the Shah and Farah, after all even after their divorce it was clear that the Shah and Soraya were still emotionally attatched. In her memoirs, Farah wrote that when the Shah told her he loved her he said that "I've said it to only three people, and one of them is you..." If my husband ever refered to the fact of saying I Love You to someone else I'd literally beat him! But it was rather strange to see the calmness and acceptance of the Shah's enduring love towards Soraya (In the the 1970's there was a picture of him taken with Soraya's picture still on his desk) Was there ever behind closed doors marital problems?

[Toledo]

I read in Spain's Hola magazine an interview where Farah discussed Soraya. She was very regretful that she passed away without being able to met. Now, in exile, she seems more undertanding of Soraya's position. Her feelings for Soraya were very sincere since both women experience the Shah's family discords in different timelines. What one woman started the other one continued.

Soraya was one of the most beautiful Royals ever, only matched by Grace Kelly.

[Queen Malka]

Originally Posted by EmpressRouge

Are you talking about this picture? I don't the date on it, but the Shah did look that in the 70s.
I was browsing through ebay again, and an edition of "Royal Romanaces" about the Shah and Soraya was/is up for sale. Horribly expensive, but there's a link to supersized scans of the pages, and it makes a good read. According to that:
The fur stole Soraya wore on her wedding day was a gift from Stalin (it was a cold winter's day in Feburary with limited heating in that palace, and Soraya was still weak from her recent near-death illness).
The Shah had several half-brothers who were ineligible for the Peacock throne because their mother had Qajar blood (the former dynasty that ruled Persia before the Pahlavis came to power). There was one half brother who WAS eligible, but he was killed in a plane crash 1954. The Shah and Soraya asked the Iranian gov't to amend the law that prevented Qajar descendents to inherit the throne, but the gov't refused. Thus the Shah was forced to divorce Soraya after she refused to participate in his temporary marriage.
Turns out Franco Indovina was not Soraya's only tragic loss. After Indovina's death, Soraya had other male companions and friends, but many of them died under tragic circumstances (drug overdose, murder, suicide; I'm starting to think that the Shah might have killed all of them off in a jealous rage).

Either that, or Soraya was destined to be alone (which she was) Don't you think its sad? Rouge, I've been meaning to ask if you have information and picutures of Franco Indovina. I found a short bio, but it was something that couldn't timeline the life of his relationship with Soraya.

[EmpressRouge]

Originally Posted by Queen Malka

Either that, or Soraya was destined to be alone (which she was) Don't you think its sad? Rouge, I've been meaning to ask if you have information and picutures of Franco Indovina. I found a short bio, but it was something that couldn't timeline the life of his relationship with Soraya.

Sorry, I know as much as you do (maybe less) on Indovina. But I'll share anything I find out in the future.

[snow]

queen soraya was without doubt one of the most BEAUTIFUL women of this century with a tragic life and perhaps the only wife of the shah who would have loved him as much even if he was an ordinary man..

[Toledo]

Are any of her living relatives getting money out of this? Next thing you know there will be Soraya's Hair and Makeup products. Just because her family knew the Shah's family does not mean she has the rights to their names.

Interesting thing on Soraya and the Shah's other wives is that they look like the movie stars of their particular moment:
1940's Fawiza looks like Vivien Leigh
1950's Soraya looks like Ava Gardner
1960's Farah looks like Sophia Loren

[carlota]

i'm not very keen on iran's imperial family and would like therefore to ask a question. which ones were the reasons for soraya's sadness? i read somewhere she had to undergo a lot of difficulties to arrive to the throne, and therefore make her dream come true. was it that she didn't like being empress after that?

[Toledo]

My guess, Carlota, is she was being unable not just to produce a Heir but to give birth to any child at all. I can only imagine how that child, with her stunning looks, would have look like! Then there was the exile, another form of rejection.

That problem has been solved by the more modern Crown Prince Reza, I read an interview he plans, if the Iranian people allow him to return the Monarchy, to make his older daugther as his Heir. This will be the first time to my knowledge that a Muslim country allows a Princess to become the Ruler, in this case Empress, in her own right. Ayatollah Khomeini will be revolving in his tomb if that happens.

[msfroyste]

as it was mentioned in an earlier post, there have been reigning empresses in persia/iran before. if you want more information, read up on sasanian persia.

[Sean.~]

Originally Posted by Toledo

My guess, Carlota, is she was being unable not just to produce a Heir but to give birth to any child at all. I can only imagine how that child, with her stunning looks, would have look like! Then there was the exile, another form of rejection.

That problem has been solved by the more modern Crown Prince Reza, I read an interview he plans, if the Iranian people allow him to return the Monarchy, to make his older daugther as his Heir. This will be the first time to my knowledge that a Muslim country allows a Princess to become the Ruler, in this case Empress, in her own right. Ayatollah Khomeini will be revolving in his tomb if that happens.

I don't think he will be going back, and even if he did, the decision to have his daughter as heir wouldn't be totally his. It would depend if society itself would be ready for such a change. A forced female heir against the wishes of society would be bad for the legitimacy of the monarchy.

Anywaty, IMO he's just paying lip service because that's what Westerner's want to hear. He would ditch his daughter for his brother as heir in a New York minute if it meant getting his throne back.

[EmpressRouge]

Originally Posted by Toledo

Are any of her living relatives getting money out of this? Next thing you know there will be Soraya's Hair and Makeup products. Just because her family knew the Shah's family does not mean she has the rights to their names.

Interesting thing on Soraya and the Shah's other wives is that they look like the movie stars of their particular moment:
1940's Fawiza looks like Vivien Leigh
1950's Soraya looks like Ava Gardner
1960's Farah looks like Sophia Loren

I don't think Soraya has any close relatives left. Obviously, she died childless. She had a brother, and I think he died childless too just a few weeks/months after Soraya. There was some debate as to who would inherit her estate because she left it to her brother, and I don't there was any immediate family after him. I believe it was determined that since no rightful heir was determined, the estate of the late Soraya was turned over to the German government.

And interesting comparisons w/ the Shah's wives to movie stars. Never really thought about the others.

[Queen Malka]

Originally Posted by carlota

i'm not very keen on iran's imperial family and would like therefore to ask a question. which ones were the reasons for soraya's sadness? i read somewhere she had to undergo a lot of difficulties to arrive to the throne, and therefore make her dream come true. was it that she didn't like being empress after that?

Soraya and the Shah had a wonderful marriage and most consider Soraya to have been the Shah's greatest love. When after 8 years of marriage it became clear that she could not bear children (not just an heir) the Shah had no choice and there fore unwillingly and teary-eyed divorced her. He was quoted saying " I have ruined my personal life for the sake of my country"
Soraya had since then spent a life in exile.

During her marriage, she didn't get along well with the royal in laws, and spoiled by the Shah she was, Soraya didn't really like being an Empress and being involved with politics (but she did do a great deal of charitable work). So hopefully that explains why she was even seen unhappy during her marriage.

[Queen Malka]

Originally Posted by EmpressRouge

I don't think Soraya has any close relatives left. Obviously, she died childless. She had a brother, and I think he died childless too just a few weeks/months after Soraya. There was some debate as to who would inherit her estate because she left it to her brother, and I don't there was any immediate family after him. I believe it was determined that since no rightful heir was determined, the estate of the late Soraya was turned over to the German government.

And interesting comparisons w/ the Shah's wives to movie stars. Never really thought about the others.

According to an article written by "Dr. Abassi" for the Nimrooz newspaper Soraya had left her Estate to the following:

Bijan, her brother
Donated equally to Red Cross and Animal Protection.

But when her brother passed away within the week, he had named his long time trusted secretary of 12 years "Mr. Feerozfar" the sole heir to all of his and Soraya's fortune. Though his will wasn't legal, The Germans had frozen all of his assets till a member of the family would come forward. When no one showed up (or proven a fake) they auctioned items off little by little and the money would be spent on "the Upkeep of German cities and cleaning of German streets"

[Jackswife]

Soraya is I think one of the "unknown" royals that some people aren't really aware of. She was stunningly beautiful, to be sure. It was sad in a sense that she did not have any children with the Shah but I think he and Farah were a very striking couple, so in that sense, it seemed Soraya's childlessness was fated to bring the Shah and Farah together. But Soraya was ravishing.

[Sean.~]

Originally Posted by Jackswife

Soraya is I think one of the "unknown" royals that some people aren't really aware of. She was stunningly beautiful, to be sure. It was sad in a sense that she did not have any children with the Shah but I think he and Farah were a very striking couple, so in that sense, it seemed Soraya's childlessness was fated to bring the Shah and Farah together. But Soraya was ravishing.

She was beautiful in her younger years but, IMO, she didn't age very well or gracefully. The low-cut gowns and plastic surgery were not age appropriate, and the partying with minor euro-aristos and has-been celebrities seemed to take a toll on her looks. IMO, Fawzia, Pahalavi's first wife, was far more beautiful and elegant. Farah, too, has aged far better than Soraya ever did.

[snow]

soraya was and shall always be remebered as the most beautiful persian queen in the recent history of iran, and during her marriage to the shah, the king was very close to his subjects, if fate had played differently in their case, iran would have had a different future and in large the world would have been a safer place!

[hilal]

Princess Soraya Pictures from http://www.princess.dostweb.com/.