Persian Realm

Princess Fawzia of Egypt (born 5 November 1921) is an Egyptian princess who became Queen of Iran as the first wife of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

Photo Tribute to Princess Fawzia of Egypt:

She is currently Fawzia Shirin, having remarried in 1949 and having lost her royal titles after the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, although she is referred to as princess out ofcourtesy. She is the most senior member of the deposed Muhammad Ali Dynasty residing in Egypt. Her nephew, Fuad, who was proclaimed King Fuad II of Egypt andSudan after the Revolution, resides in Switzerland.

Early Life:

She was born Her Sultanic Highness Princess Fawzia bint Fuad at Ras el-Tin Palace in Alexandria, the eldestdaughter of Sultan Fuad Iof Egypt and Sudan (later King Fuad I),and his second wife, Nazli Sabri.One of her great-great-grandfathers was Suleiman Pasha, a Frencharmy officer who served under Napoleon,converted to Islam,and oversaw an overhaul of the Egyptian army. In addition to her sisters,Faiza, Faika, and Fathiya, and her brother, Farouk, she had twohalf-siblings from her father's previous marriage to Princess Shivakiar Khanum Effendi. »

Marriage to Shah of Iran :

Princess Fawzia of Egypt andSudan married Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (1919–1980), the Crown Prince of Iran, in Cairo, on 16 March 1939;after their honeymoon, the wedding ceremonies were repeated in Tehran. Two years later,the crown prince succeeded his exiled father and was to become the Shah of Iran. Soon afterher husband’s ascent to the throne, Queen Fawzia appeared on the cover of the21 September 1942, issue of Life magazine,photographed by Cecil Beaton,who described her as an “Asian Venus” with “a perfect heart-shaped face andstrangely pale but piercing blue eyes.”

British Gaumont News - Shapour Mohamed Reza Pahlavi arrives in Egypt:

British Gaumont News - Shapour Mohamed Reza Pahlavi Tours Cairo for Wedding:

The marriage was not asuccess. After the birth of the couple’s only child, Princess Shahnaz Pahlavi, Queen Fawzia—the title of empress was not yet used in Iran at that time—obtained anEgyptian divorce in 1945, whereupon she moved to Cairo. This divorce was notrecognized by Iran, however, and eventually an official divorce was obtained, in Iran, on 17November 1948, with Queen Fawzia reclaiming her previous distinction of Princess of Egypt and Sudan. A major condition of the divorce was that herdaughter be left behind to be raised in Iran. Curiously, Queen Fawzia’s brother, King Farouk, divorced his first wife, Queen Farida, the same week.

British Pathé News announces Royal Marriage of Shapour Mohamed Reza Pahlavi to Princess Fawzia:

British Gaumont News - Shahpour Mohamed Reza Pahlavi and Bride Leave Egypt for Iran:

In the official announcement of the divorce, it was stated that “the Persian climate had endangered thehealth of Empress [sic] Fawzia, and that thus it was agreed that the EgyptianKing’s sister be divorced.” In another official statement, the Shah said thatthe dissolution of the marriage “cannot affect by any means the existing friendly relations between Egypt and Iran.

Gaumont British News: Royal Wedding - Shah and Fawzia Arrive in Iran:

Gaumont British News: Birth of Shahnaz Pahlavi:

Marriageto Colonel Ismail Hussain Shirin Bey

On 28 March 1949, in Cairo, Princess Fawzia married Colonel Ismail Hussain Shirin Bey, (1919–1994), a distant cousin and one-time Egyptian Minister of War and the Navy. The couple had two children: Nadia (born1950-2009) and Hussain (born 1955).

ETERNAL EGYPT: Nefertiti -Examining a Lost Queen:

Part of a Documentary on a team of forensic experts is on a mission for Nefertiti and a lost dynasty.

Princess Fawzia’s death was mistakenly reported in January 2005. Journalists had confused her with her niece, Princess Fawzia Farouk (1940–2005), one of the three daughters of King Farouk.

Verdi's AIDA - Nile Scene - Dance of the Priestesses - Cleopatra - Ancient Egypt:

Princess Fawzia’s death was mistakenly reported in January 2005. Journalists had confused her with her niece, Princess Fawzia Farouk (1940–2005), one of the three daughters of King Farouk.

Related Blogs:

ROYALTY: From Princess of the Nile to Queen of Persia (1938)

CLEOPATRA VISITS PERSIA: Elizabeth Taylor Visits Isfahan's Chehel Setoon (1974)

Other Related Blogs:

SATIRE: Egypt's "Papyrus Revolution"

THE LAST PHARAOH: The Life and Death of Egypt's Anwar El Sadat (25 Dec 1918 - 6 Oct 1981)