Fawzia Fuad of Egypt facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fawziaفوزية |
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Fawzia in the 1940s
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| Queen consort of Iran | |
| Tenure | 16 September 1941 – 17 November 1948 |
| Born | 5 November 1921 Ras el-Tin Palace, Alexandria, Sultanate of Egypt |
| Died | 2 July 2013 (aged 91) Alexandria, Egypt |
| Burial | Al-Rifa'i Mosque, Cairo, Egypt |
| Spouse |
Ismail Chirine
(m. 1949; died 1994) |
| Issue | Shahnaz Pahlavi Nadia Chirine Hussein Chirine |
| House | Muhammad Ali |
| Father | Fuad I of Egypt |
| Mother | Nazli Sabri |
| Religion | Islam |
Princess Fawzia of Egypt (born 5 November 1921 – died 2 July 2013) was an Egyptian princess. She became the Queen of Iran when she married Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who later became the Shah of Iran.
Fawzia was the daughter of King Fuad I of Egypt. Her marriage to the Iranian Crown Prince in 1939 was a political arrangement. It helped strengthen Egypt's power in the Middle East. It also gave respect to the new Iranian royal family by connecting them with the older and more famous Egyptian royal family.
Their marriage was not based on love. Fawzia got a divorce in Egypt in 1945. Iran did not officially recognize this divorce until 1948. Their only daughter, Princess Shahnaz, stayed in Iran to be raised there.
In 1949, Fawzia married Colonel Ismail Chirine. He was an Egyptian diplomat. They had a son and a daughter together.
Contents
Life of Princess Fawzia
Early Life and Education
Princess Fawzia was born on 5 November 1921, at Ras el-Tin Palace in Alexandria, Egypt. Her father was Sultan Fuad I (who later became King Fuad I) of Egypt and Sudan. Her mother was Nazli Sabri.
Fawzia had a mixed background. Her father's family had Albanian and Circassian roots. Her mother's family had French, Turkish, Greek, and Egyptian roots. Her great-great-grandfather, Suleiman Pasha, was a French officer who helped improve the Egyptian army.
Fawzia had four younger siblings: Princesses Faiza, Faika, and Fathia, and her brother, Farouk. She also had two older half-siblings from her father's first marriage. Fawzia went to school in Switzerland. She spoke English and French very well, in addition to her native Arabic.
Many people thought she was very beautiful. Her looks were often compared to famous movie stars like Hedy Lamarr and Vivien Leigh.
Her First Marriage
Princess Fawzia's marriage to Iran's Crown Prince Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was arranged by his father, Rezā Shāh. It was seen as a political move to strengthen ties between the two countries. The marriage also brought together a Sunni royal (Fawzia) and a Shia royal (Mohammad Reza).
The Iranian royal family was quite new. Reza Khan, Mohammad Reza's father, had started as a soldier and became a general. He took power in 1921. He really wanted his family to marry into the older and more respected Egyptian royal family.
The Egyptian royal family was very grand. King Farouk of Egypt was not very keen on the marriage at first. But his adviser, Aly Maher Pasha, convinced him it would help Egypt's standing in the Islamic world. To get ready for her new life, Fawzia had a teacher to learn Persian.
Fawzia and Mohammad Reza got engaged in May 1938. They only met once before their wedding. They were married in Cairo, Egypt, on 15 March 1939. King Farouk showed the couple around Egypt, visiting famous places like the pyramids.
After the wedding in Egypt, Fawzia traveled to Iran with her mother. The wedding ceremony was repeated at the Marble Palace in Tehran, which became their home. Fawzia and Mohammad Reza spoke French to each other, as he didn't speak Turkish (one of the languages of the Egyptian elite) and her Persian was not perfect.
Fawzia found the Iranian court very different from what she was used to in Egypt. She did not like Reza Khan, Mohammad Reza's father. She also found the food and palaces in Iran not as grand as those in Egypt.
Queen of Iran
After her marriage, Princess Fawzia became an Iranian citizen. Two years later, her husband became the Shah of Iran after his father left the country. Soon after he became king, Queen Fawzia appeared on the cover of Life magazine in September 1942. The photographer, Cecil Beaton, called her an "Asian Venus" with a "perfect heart-shaped face and strangely pale but piercing blue eyes."
As Queen, she led a new group called the Association for the Protection of Pregnant Women and Children (APPWC) in Iran.
Queen Fawzia and Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi had one child, a daughter:
- Princess Shahnaz Pahlavi (born 27 October 1940).
Their marriage was not happy. Fawzia was very unhappy in Iran and often missed her home in Egypt. From 1944, she was treated for sadness by a doctor. She said her marriage had no love, and she really wanted to go back to Egypt.
Queen Fawzia moved back to Cairo in May 1945 and got a divorce in Egypt. She felt that Tehran was not as modern as Cairo. Iran did not recognize this divorce right away. But an official divorce was finally granted in Iran on 17 November 1948. A main condition was that her daughter, Princess Shahnaz, would stay in Iran.
The official reason for the divorce was that "the Persian climate had endangered the health of Queen Fawzia." The Shah also said that the divorce would not affect the friendly relationship between Egypt and Iran. After her divorce, Princess Fawzia returned to her role in the Egyptian royal court.
Later Life
On 28 March 1949, Princess Fawzia married Colonel Ismail Chirine at Koubbeh Palace in Cairo. He was a graduate of Trinity College, Cambridge, and had been an Egyptian minister. After their wedding, they lived on an estate owned by Fawzia in Maadi, Cairo. They also had a home in Smouha, Alexandria.
Unlike her first marriage, Fawzia married Ismail Chirine for love. She was described as much happier with him than she had ever been with the Shah of Iran.
They had two children:
- Nadia Chirine (born 19 December 1950, Cairo – died October 2009). She had two daughters:
- Sinai Shabaan (born October 1973)
- Fawzia Rashid
- Hussein Chirine (1955–2016)
Fawzia continued to live in Egypt even after the 1952 Revolution. This revolution removed her brother, King Farouk, from power. In 2005, there was a mistake in the news that reported Princess Fawzia's death. But it was actually her niece, Princess Fawzia Farouk, who had passed away.
Princess Fawzia lived in Alexandria in her later years. She died on 2 July 2013, at the age of 91. Her funeral was held in Cairo the next day. She was buried in Cairo next to her second husband. At the time of her death, she was the oldest living member of the Muhammad Ali dynasty in Egypt.
Gallery
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Queen Fawzia with Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlevi and their daughter, Princess Shahnaz in Tehran during the Second World War.
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The wedding ceremony of Princess Fawzia and Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. From left to right: King Farouk of Egypt (the bride's brother), Princess Fawzia (the bride) and the Crown Prince of Iran (the groom).
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Commemoration Medallion of Marriage of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi and Princess Fawzia of Egypt – March 1939 – The medallion is now in Sahebgharanie palace in Niavaran Palace complex.
Legacy
A town in Iran, Fawziabad, was named after Princess Fawzia in 1939. A street in Maadi, Cairo, was also named Amira Fawzia street in 1950. However, in 1956, its name was changed to Mustafa Kamel street.
Honours
Egypt: Decoration of al-Kamal in brilliants (16 May 1939)
Iran: Grand Cordon of the Order of Khorshid (27 October 1940)
See also
In Spanish: Fawzia de Egipto para niños
