Saed News: In the following, join us for a part of Soraya Esfandiari's memories about her acquaintance and life with Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
According to Saad News' History Service, as reported by Faradeed, Soraya Esfandiari, daughter of Khalil Khan Bakhtiari and Eva Karl, married Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in 1950 and separated from him in 1957. In her memoirs, written after her separation from the Shah, Soraya provides a detailed account of her childhood, life with the Shah, and her life after their divorce. Here is a short excerpt from her memoirs, reflecting on the beginning of her acquaintance and marriage to Mohammad Reza Pahlavi:
"One day in September 1950, my cousin Goudarz Bakhtiari came to my room in London and said, 'Soraya, can you spare me an hour? I want to take a few more pictures of you.' I was surprised and replied, 'But you’ve already taken my picture twice this week!' I knew that Goudarz was a professional photographer, but his sudden enthusiasm to take more pictures of me was strange. I said, 'Is something going on? Otherwise, you wouldn’t be wasting so much film.' My cousin smiled and said, 'I received a letter from Tehran, and they want more photos.'"
I asked, 'Who sent the letter?' He said, 'My sister Forough Zafar. She says she has old photos of you, and she wants new ones.' Eventually, Goudarz explained, 'Maybe Forough Zafar thinks you could be a suitable bride for the Shah.' He added that Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, after divorcing Fawziya, was planning to remarry."
I replied, 'How do we know there’s no interest involved?' Goudarz said, 'Forough Zafar has two candid photos of you skiing, and she showed them to her friends. The Shah has seen them and wants to see more.' I didn’t take it seriously, but two days later, I received a message from my father in Zurich, which read as follows:
'As you know, I promised to take you to Tehran next fall. It might be necessary for us to leave earlier. Yesterday, my nephew Rostam visited me. While asking about the Shah’s intentions, he mentioned that we should be ready to go to the court as soon as possible. Since there’s no indication of compulsion in the invitation, I accepted.'
From that point on, my cousins took every opportunity to joke with me. The thought of me possibly becoming their queen made them both excited. Goudarz, while bending down dramatically, said, 'Your Highness, may I be at your service tomorrow to accompany you to the Royal Opera House?'"
