Everything About the Fate of Shahnaz, the Daughter of Mohammad Reza and Fawzia, a Girl Whose Birth Was Met with Anger and Displeasure by the Pahlavi Family

Shahnaz Pahlavi’s birth was met with anger and disappointment by the Pahlavi family, as they had been hoping for a male heir to succeed Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. It is famously said that Reza Shah, upon hearing the news of her birth, became furious and, in a fit of rage, knocked everything off his desk with his cane. From that point on, he paid little attention to Fawzia (Shahnaz’s mother).

Eventually, due to Shahnaz’s homesickness, it was decided that she would be sent to a school and later a college in Europe. She only agreed to return to Iran after the 1953 coup d’état.

Shortly afterward, in 1956, at the Shah’s request, she was married to Ardeshir Zahedi, son of General Fazlollah Zahedi, the man behind the 1953 coup. After the birth of their only child, Mahnaz, in 1958, Shahnaz became disillusioned with court life due to Ardeshir Zahedi’s debauchery. She moved with her daughter to Hesarek and gradually turned to drug use, including LSD.

Shahnaz, Ardeshir Zahedi, and Their Daughter, Mahnaz

Mahnaz, Daughter of Shahnaz and Ardeshir Zahedi, with Reza Pahlavi

In 1964, following the death of General Fazlollah Zahedi, Shahnaz divorced Ardeshir and adopted a hippie, bohemian lifestyle. After some time, she moved to Switzerland.

There, she met Khosrow Jahanbani, son of General Sepahbod Jahanbani, who was studying painting and was a full-fledged hippie. Not long after, and without the court’s approval, she married him.

Khosrow Jahanbani and Shahnaz

Years later, after giving birth to her second daughter Fawzia and her son Khosrow (Keykhosrow), she remained in Switzerland until she was pardoned through the mediation of Farah Diba and returned to Iran.

Keykhosrow, Son of Shahnaz and Khosrow Jahanbani

Fawzia, Daughter of Shahnaz and Khosrow Jahanbani

Shahnaz's Children as Adults (Fawzia and Keykhosrow)

In the final days of his life, the Shah divided his estate among his children. He allocated 8% of his inheritance to Shahnaz and 2% to her daughter Mahnaz, totaling 10% between them. However, after her father’s death, when Shahnaz realized that she had received about 7% less than Farahnaz and Leila, she took the matter to a French court. Nevertheless, even with just 8%, she received enough money and property for herself, her husband, and children to live comfortably in Paris.

The Last Photo of Shahnaz Pahlavi and Khosrow Jahanbani