SAEDNEWS: In his final years, Reza Shah sought a suitable wife for his son. Ahmad Rad, Iran’s envoy in Cairo, suggested a marriage alliance with King Farouk’s royal family in Egypt.
According to Saed News, citing Khorasan newspaper, one of Reza Shah’s major concerns during the final years of his rule was finding a suitable wife for his son, Crown Prince Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. To resolve this matter, he considered many potential candidates. Among them was Ahmad Rad, Iran’s minister plenipotentiary in Cairo and one of Reza Shah’s trusted officials, who suggested establishing a marriage connection with the royal family of King Farouk of Egypt.
Ahmad Rad sent Reza Shah a report about the sisters of King Farouk, along with a photograph of Princess Fawzia, which attracted the Shah’s approval.
Through his efforts and diplomatic discussions, Iran’s representative in Cairo managed to gain King Farouk’s approval, paving the way for the marriage. Ignoring constitutional restrictions, Reza Shah ordered changes to be made so that Mohammad Reza’s marriage to a non-Iranian woman would not face legal obstacles.
The National Consultative Assembly quickly approved a proposed bill granting Fawzia Iranian citizenship, removing the legal barrier to her marriage with Mohammad Reza.
The year 1938 marked the beginning of the short-lived marriage between Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and Fawzia, the sister of King Farouk of Egypt.
Both the Egyptian and Iranian governments were under British influence at the time. Some historians and observers believe that the marriage was a political arrangement encouraged or even pressured by the British government.
Hossein Fardoust wrote about the matter:
“This marriage was certainly a British plan to bring the two regimes of Iran and Egypt closer together. In particular, after the birth of Mohammad Reza’s child, the future heir of Iran would have become of mixed Iranian-Egyptian heritage, carrying both bloodlines, which was undoubtedly part of the British long-term objectives.”
Fawzia’s father, King Fuad, was considered a prominent ally of the British. At a time when Egypt was still under British control, he took power in Egypt and, with British support, adopted the title of king.
King Fuad had died several years before the marriage of Mohammad Reza and Fawzia, and his son Farouk had succeeded him as ruler of Egypt. Farouk had four sisters and one son.
The marriage between the Iranian Crown Prince and Fawzia was proposed very quickly. It is believed that even Reza Khan himself may have only learned about the idea one or two weeks before it was finalized, which some viewed as evidence that the arrangement had been influenced or directed by the British.
Fardoust further explained:
“The decision was finalized, and a delegation led by Mahmoud Jam (known as Modir al-Molk, father of retired General Fereydoun Jam), who was then head of the royal court, traveled to Cairo. After 10 to 15 days of formalities, they returned and announced King Farouk’s approval. Farouk had already been informed through the British; otherwise, it would have seemed strange to him why his sister should marry the Crown Prince of Iran. In any case, the delegation was mostly ceremonial, because the matter had already been settled.”
However, the marriage, which reportedly lacked genuine love and affection from the beginning, ended in divorce after nearly a decade. Fawzia divorced the Shah in 1945 according to Egyptian law, and the divorce was officially recognized in Iran in 1948.
