Queen Fawzia of Iran née Princess of Egypt (1921-2013)

[sarkisla]

she was very very beautiful , she was the beautifullest royal princess

[XeniaCasaraghi]

Now it is 2012, is she still alive? Not a lot of information on her, but it seems that her sisters in law were some horrible people to live with.
The Shah of Iran had some great taste in women, all of his wives were exceptionally beautiful.

[NGalitzine]

Yes, I believe she is still living in Alexandria, Egypt.

[sancakli70]

what happens her where lives she ? And what is about money??
i found a blog about her an her fashion in 40s
The Royal Couturier: The Royal Tidbits : Princess Fawzia The Fashionista
very elegant and beautiful woman

[Artemisia]

Fawzia currently resides in Alexandria, Egypt.
As to her financial position, I daresay it's quite secure if not luxurious.
.

[sancakli70]

thanks :) what does her daughter any informations ?

[christythedreamer]

Fawzia is gorgeous. She has it all... beauty and she's born a princess. I've heard that she has blue eyes, how amazing is that!

I was struck by how regal she looks when I first saw her black and white picture with her tiara.

Anyway, I read that she got a divorce bc she hated the life in Iran but some say it's her problem not being able to produce an heir... I'm confused, doesn't she have a daughter? Sure there are no problems to her fertility.

[blauerengel]

No,she was divorced due to estrangement and because she did not feel happy in Tehran,she missed her own country and family too much and obviously she did not feel any love for the shah. I believe it was an arranged marriage while Soraya and Farah were "love matches".

[EmpressRouge]

It was not a fertility issue because Fawzia later remarried and had two more children, including a son. I believe the lack of a son was a reason for the Shah to remarry, rather than the divorce itself. Perhaps had Princess Shahnaz been born a boy, the need for the Shah wouldn't had been as great. After his divorce from Fawzia, he lived a fast and playboy life style (this was around the time he briefly romanced a young Grace Kelly), but after an assassination attempted in which he was wounded, he realized he needed to find a wife and produce an heir. And so photographs of young, eligible Iranian girls poured in and Soraya's picture was one of them.

[blauerengel]

@ Empress Rouge: Do you know if the first marriage of the Shah was an arranged one?
To me it always seemed to be so-she was a beautiful,smart princess from a wealthy & powerful Royal family-at the time of their wedding the Egyptian RF was still in high regard.
So I concluded that it was an arranged marriage while it seems to me that with Soraya and Farah Dibah it was more of a romantic marriage...especially with Soraya...but I don´t know:-)

[christythedreamer]

Thanks for the answers, girls! It's a pity that the marriage didn't work out, they looked like a perfect couple

[EmpressRouge]

Originally Posted by blauerengel

@ Empress Rouge: Do you know if the first marriage of the Shah was an arranged one?

It was most DEFINITELY an arranged marriage for the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (then crown prince) and Fawzia. Shah Reza Pahlavi (his father) had only taken the throne a decade and a half ago and was looking for a prestigious match with a blue-blooded Muslim lady for his son. The Egyptian royal court was the most prestigious, westernized and cosmopolitan in the Near East. Fawzia's brother King Farouk welcomed the Pahlavi match, eyeing an opportunity to obtain Iranian oil.

The match started out well because the beautiful princess and handsome prince found each other physically attractive (the then Crown Prince was excited by seeing her photograph, as he would later be with Soraya). However, Fawzia, coming from the westernized, cosmopolitan court in Egypt, felt the Iranian court "backward." There were other reasons, but ultimately Fawzia and the Shah's marriage was a political arrangement and they just never grew to love each other enough to stay together.
.

[christythedreamer]

^ that makes sense!!! Thank you

[Princess Xenia]

And don't forget about Shah's mother and his twin sister Princess Ashraf who were so jealous of her
I think they were the main reasons for Fawzia to go back to Egypt and ask for a divorce as they made her life in Iran like hell.

[NoorMeansLight]

Originally Posted by EmpressRouge

Anyone hear of the rumor that the Shah had a brief affair with Grace Kelly? I'm not sure if this is true, but the story has turned up in at least two biographies of Princess Grace. One, Robert Lacey's Grace, mentions it briefly as one of the numerous dalliances Grace had before her marriage to Rainier. Another book, The Bridesmaids, by Judy Quine, Grace's friend and bridesmaid. In that book, Quine says that after her engagement, Grace gave Quine a piece of jewelry (a pin of a bird w/ a cage, I think) implying that the piece had been given to her by a former lover. Quine did not know at the time who the person was and eventually lost the pin. She only knew of its significance after reading a intimate biography of her famous friend. If the Shah and Grace did indeed have an affair, it would have been very brief and probably during her early Hollywood days, but that would make it around the time of his marriage to Soraya (Gasp!).

Old topic/question, but I have Robert Lacey's book in my hands right now and thus, can confirm that Grace was a student in NY and the Shah was single. They met in NY, in the winter of 1949, during the Shah's official visit to the USA, and went out together 6 nights in a row. He gave her magnificent pieces of jewellery, which she decided to keep. Shortly before her wedding, Grace gave them away as gifts to her bridesmaids indeed.

Back to Fawzia... She was one of the most stunning women of her time, I agree. There was something extraordinary and otherwordly about her beauty. Her photos still fascinate me!
She had a very interesting life, to say the least, and somehow made the right choices (maybe out of mere luck!). She left the Shah at the right age in order to get married again, have more children and start a new life. This way she avoided the exile and all the hardships the Shah's family went through. And by marrying a commoner, she gave up her titles and royal status and therefore, managed to remain in her beloved homeland, when the King was deposed and the rest of her family had to leave Egypt.
I'd love to know how she feels about all that. She was born in the city she currently resides (Alexandria), but as a princess in a royal palace... how does it feel now, when she passes in front of Ras el-Tin Palace?

I'd also love to visit Alexandria one day, still haven't visited Egypt at all. But, many years ago, I visited Kavala, the northern Greek city where Muhammad Ali Pasha was born, in the then Ottoman Empire (though he was of Albanian origin). His house is a Museum nowadays, the location breathtaking. You may find more information here: Imaret - Imaret and the house of Mohamed Ali Pasha

[christythedreamer]

Originally Posted by Princess Xenia

And don't forget about Shah's mother and his twin sister Princess Ashraf who were so jealous of her
I think they were the main reasons for Fawzia to go back to Egypt and ask for a divorce as they made her life in Iran like hell.

Why were they jealous of her? Poor Fawzia :(

[Princess Xenia]

Originally Posted by christythedreamer

Why were they jealous of her? Poor Fawzia :(

Because she was a beauty queen and she was The Queen of Iran . The Queen Mother and Princess Ashraf were true mother in law and sister in law and they always tried control her life and to control shah's relationships with his wives.
So IMO Fawzia had a right to escape.
It was even rumored that it was Ashraf who made Queen Soraya infertile.

[TRCRoyal]

Queen Fawzia passed away today, at the age of 93. May god bless her soul!

[Princess Xenia]

I hope she rests in peace

[NGalitzine]

Originally Posted by Princess Xenia

It was even rumored that it was Ashraf who made Queen Soraya infertile.

Oh Good Grief, how could Ashraf have made Soraya infertile short of drugging her and doing surgery while she slept????