RIP Princess Fawzia , The Beautiful Sad Rose of the Nile

As she lived in complete silence, she departed our world in even greater silence, which does not suit a figure like her.

 After all, she was not only the surviving sister of late King Farouk, but she was also the ex-wife of Shah of Iran Reda Pahlavi.

Princess Fawzia Fouad of Egypt 

Princess Fawzia Fouad passed away last July 2,2013, in complete silence in Alexandria. The very small funeral that did not suit her was held last July 3, 2013, at El Saida Nafisa mosque in Old Cairo. 

She was not buried in the royal cemetery beside her brother, late King Farok, in Rafai, she was buried in her husband's family "The Shereens" cemetery in Cairo.

 
Only very few relatives attended the funeral. Of course, the media was not that interested in covering the funeral, but I found a couple of clips from the funeral.

The media was not that interested because it is not a secret that we are having political unrest in the country.
I do not know what to say about that beautiful princess, honestly, as I have always admired her as a person and as a royal figure.

 In 1939, the 18-year-old Princess Fawzia married the 20-year-old crown prince of Iran, Reda Pahlavi, in one of the most famous political marriages in the Middle East in the 20th century. 

It was said that King Farouk tried to lead the Muslim world, and at the same time, Pahlavi was trying to support his rule with a regional alliance, a great one too.

Of course, my generation looks to it when a Sunni princess married a Shia prince and everyone was happy for it.

Princess Fawzia gave birth to Princess Shahnaz Pahlavi in 1940.

Princess Fawzia with Princess Shahnaz in Iran "Hassan Kamel"

Amazingly, Princess Shahnaz is just like her mother, a media-shy person who is living away from the lights, unlike the rest of her family.

Unfortunately, the princess who became a young, beautiful Queen returned to Cairo in 194,5 leaving her daughter in Tehran. 

The sad look of the princess since then became her trademark. Many people spoke about why the royal-imperial marriage did not work, but the young princess who came from a different royal court and a different country could not cope with her mother-in-law and sisters in law, not to mention the young Shah had a mistress.

I once read the memories of Adel Thabet, King Farouk's relative, that the young Queen was extremely depressed to the level that she fell sick, extremely sick. After knowing what happened to his sister, Farouk ordered her return immediately to Cairo to be divorced.

In 1949, she married Colonel Ismail Chirine, another Mohamed Ali family and an army officer/diplomat. 

They were considered the cutest couple in Egypt then according to my grandma.
The princess had two children: Nadia and Hussein.

After 1952, citizen Fawzia carrying her son Hussein "Kelisi"

It is worth mentioning that Nadia Chirine was the first wife of famous actor Youssef Shaaban.

 
Princess Fawzia was like an acting first lady of Egypt till the short marriage of King Farouk to Queen Nariman, especially with the departure of Queen Nazli to the United States.

 
In 1952, the princess who was married to the minister of defence then was said to predict that something was going to happe,n and it did happen. The free officers did their own coup, which was regarded later as the 1952 revolution in Egypt.

 
She refused to leave Egyp,t unlike the rest of her sisters. She lived in Alexandria along with her husband and her children Nadia and Hussein.

Princess Fawzia led a very quiet life, refusing to speak to the mediafor  decades, even during the time of Mubarak.

 The only recent photo for the princess we found in her daughter's ex-husband Ardeshir Zahedi's website during her visit, I think, to the States a decade ago.

 

With Princess Shahanz's ex-husband, Ardeshir Zahedi

My generation rediscovered her from the old photos thanks to Nostalgia for the old black and white Egypt.

Now I know this is not a proper obituary for such a personality.
Below is one of the biggest Flickr photo albums dedicated to Princess Fawzia. Please pray for her or read the Fatha for her soul.