Princess Fawzia Fouad, daughter of King Fouad I of Egypt and first wife of Emperor Mohammed Reza Pahlavi of Iran, was not only one of the most beautiful princesses of the Alawite family - perhaps the most beautiful of all - but also one of the most elegant and fashionable women of her time. The British ambassador to Egypt at the time, Sir Miles Lampson, famously said of her: "I saw in her the most beautiful woman on earth." Looking at her photos and her stunning beauty, we can't help but feel that he was absolutely right!
Image taken from the official page of King Farouk I's website.
On her birthday, November 5, 1921, Moget wanted to shed some light on the life of Princess Fawzia, or the Sad Princess, as she was nicknamed by some, the turning points in her life and her most famous and most beautiful looks.
Princess Fawzia Fouad was born in Ras al-Tin Palace in Alexandria on November 5, 1921, and is the second daughter of King Fouad I and Queen Nazli after King Farouk, followed by Princesses Fayza, Faiza, and Fathia, but she was the closest to King Farouk, and she is also the granddaughter of Khedive Ismail, during whose reign Egypt became a piece of Europe.
Getty Images Princesses Faiza, Faika and Fawzia from left to right in 1927
Princess Fawzia as a child - Photo taken from the official page of King Farouk I's website.
Getty Images image of Princess Fawzia as a young woman
Getty Images Queen Farida of Egypt and Her Royal Highness Princess Fawzia at the opening of the French sculpture exhibition in Cairo - February 1939.
Princess Fawzia was proposed to by the Crown Prince of Iran at the time, Prince Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and a legendary wedding was held in Cairo on March 16, 1939, when the princess was only 18 years old. Another ceremony was held in Tehran upon the couple's arrival from Cairo to the Iranian capital, and is said to have lasted for three days.
Getty Images of Princess Fawzia in 1939 at her engagement ceremony to Crown Prince Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran
Getty Images photo of the wedding of Princess Fawzia and Prince Mohammad Reza Pahlavi on March 16, 1939
The marriage of Princess Fawzia and Prince Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in 1939 - photo taken from the official website of King Farouk I.
Two years after the marriage, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was installed as the Shah of Iran and Princess Fawzia became Empress of Iran, but the marriage did not last long, as she lived a sad period of her life during which she was unable to adapt to her new life in Tehran, so she returned to Cairo after a difficult period of suffering and decided to divorce in 1945. The marriage resulted in her only child with the Shah - Shahnaz - who was born in October 1940.
The Princess with the Sad Beauty - Image taken from the official website of King Farouk I.
A photo of Princess Fawzia in full regalia, wearing her royal crown - photo from the official page of King Farouk I's website.
In March 1949, she married Colonel Ismail Shirin, who was Minister of War before the July 1952 revolution, with whom she had a daughter, Nadia, in 1950 and a son, Hussein, in 1955.
The marriage of Princess Fawzia and Colonel Ismail Shirin in 1949 - Photo from the official website of King Farouk I.
She was keen on developing shelters, visiting hospitals, volunteering in charitable work, providing in-kind and financial assistance to the needy, and even volunteering as a nurse in the Egyptian army during the Palestine War to serve the injured. After the revolution of July 23, 1952, the princess remained in Alexandria, the city where she was born, until her death on July 2, 2013, at the age of 91.
Princess Fawzia participating in a charity event - Photo from the official website of King Farouk I
Princess Fawzia, an icon of beauty and elegance - Photo courtesy of the official website of King Farouk I.
Princess Fawzia in her youth - Photo courtesy of the official website of King Farouk I.
