A royal comeback?
The Economist
25-Aug-2012 (3 comments)

On July 26th, a popular London-based TV satellite station called Man o To (Me and You), best-known for adapting Western formats to Iranian audiences, broadcast a long documentary based on conversations with the former empress. “From Tehran to Cairo”, as the programme is called, tells the story of the royal couple, from their flight until the shah’s death from cancer in the Egyptian capital, where Egypt’s then president, Anwar Sadat, was the only leader to behave generously to an old ally. The day after the broadcast, the chatter in Tehran was of little else.

To judge by responses on the internet, she struck a chord. One young woman confessed regretfully that she had played the role of “Evil Queen Farah” in a school play. Another, a student at the women’s university that the empress founded (her name since expunged), paid tribute to her promotion of Persian culture. There was pathos, too, since the ex-queen has lost two of her four children to suicide in the past 11 years.

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John

To Rea: no royalty anywhere please

by John on Sun Aug 26, 2012 07:41 AM PDT

It would be a backwards step to reinstall royalty where none currently exists, for example in Iran.  However, should the British, Dutch, Swedes, Spanish, etc. decide that their figurehead royalty should be turfed out, then that would also be a good decision.

Australia, as far as I know, has made the correct decision to sever it's ties with the British royalty, and I sincerely hope that my country (Canada) will do the same sooner or later.  It is absurd that my money has the image of Queen Elizabeth on it, and that the titular head of state for Canada is not the Prime Minister, but the Governor General, who is the representative of the British Queen (or King, once Elizabeth dies).


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Rea

"Royalty has no place..."

by Rea on Sun Aug 26, 2012 06:54 AM PDT

How does that square with the British, Dutch, Swedish, Spanish or any other royalty? Are they not part of the "modern world" ? 


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John

Royalty has no place in the modern world

by John on Sun Aug 26, 2012 06:41 AM PDT

"Queen" Farah seems like a very nice person, based on film interviews of her that I've seen, but any thought of replacing an autocratic dictatorship (IRI) with a monarchy is misguided.  Royalty is nothing more than an anachronism from the dark ages.  By all means lets oust the bearded lunatics, but lets replace them with forward-thinking leaders.


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