Princess Soraya Esfandiary Bhaktiari was married to Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi at Marble Palace, Tehran on 12 February 1951. Soon after marriage, she headed the charity organization in Iran. Her family was associated with the Iranian Government for a long time. She died on 26th October 2001 due to undisclosed reasons.

1. Leading the charge of
westernization by
the Iranian Royal
Family
The Story of a
Princess with
sad eyes in the
palace of
loneliness

8. THE STORY OF A PRINCESS WITH SAD EYES
SHA’S EX-WIFE PRINCESS
SORAYA

20. During the 1950s and the 1960s,
Soraya was on all the magazine
covers.
Her legendary beauty had
conquered Mohamed Reza
Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran.
The Shah had discoverd her on a
snapshot photo
and fell in love instantly.

50. ENGAGEMENT
The diamond engagement ring of the late Iranian
Princess Soraya . The ring, which was given to the
princess by the Shah of Iran in 1950, is made of a
22.37 carat diamond

61. MATRIMONY

62. WEDDING

89. The princess' Christian Dior
wedding gown and mink cape
had a homecoming of sorts,
purchased for just over
$4,000 by the French fashion
house
FASHION

91. Emilio Schuberth evening dress worn by
Queen Soraya of Iran, 1953 by lupe

92. Fontana 1960 vintage formal evening dress in china blue with
embroidery created for Princess Soraya of Persia

104. The Imperial Couple Attending an Official
Ceremony

107. H.M. Shah Mohamed Reza Pahlavi & Empress Soraya at Reception In London In 1955 | Once upon a time
in Tehran,There was a Queen Soraya

113. FASHION CELEBRITY
Empress Soraya of Persia
(Iran) poses in the studio
of Italian fashion designer
Emilio Schuberth, left,
with an evening dress
made of white Organdy

117. ALBUM
PALACE OF LONELINESS
DESPAIR
THE SAGA OF AN
ENDLESS
SORROW

125. Empress Soraya smoking a cigarette

126. Shah lighting cigarette for his wife Soraya

127. CIGARETTE CASE
EMPRESS SORAYA A GOLD AND SAPPHIRE SET CIGARETTE BOX BY CARTIER, LONDON, 1947 The
9 carat gold box of rectangular form with rounded sides, the cover set with six square-
cut sapphires on raised square mounts, with swivelling clasp with rope twist
decoration and two further sapphires at each end, the cover engraved with the lion
and sun motif of the Pahlavi dynasty, maker's name engraved on the front edge of the
cover and hallmarked on the inside base and cover

128. A Golden Cigarette Case, Given By the Shah

129. Beach highlife

131. The one-off luxurious Chrysler 300K Special was a gift of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi to his
second wife, Soraya Esfandiari Bhaktiar

136. Princess Soraya's Antique Roger Vivier Shoes

143. Travel of Princess Soraya in the United States

155. Empress Soraya, the second wife of the last Shah of Iran, died in
Paris at the age of 69. . One of the most glamorous women of her
day, she became Empress of Iran aged just 16, but was repudiated
by her husband seven years later because she was unable to bear
him an heir to the peacock throne.

162. BIOGRAPHY
PRINCESS SORAYA (1932-2001)

163. Born in Isfahan, Iran, Soraya Esfandiary was the eldest child
and only daughter of Khalil Esfandiary—a noble of the Bakhtiari
tribe of southern Iran who was the Iranian ambassador to West
Germany in the 1950s—and his Russian-born German wife,
Eva Karl. She had one sibling, a younger brother, Bijan.
Her family had long been involved in the Iranian government
and diplomatic corps. An uncle, Sardar Assad, was a leader in
the Iranian constitutional movement of the early 20th century.

164. Soraya Esfandiari-Bakhtiari was
born in Iran on June 22, 1932, to an
Iranian businessman and his
German wife. She moved to Berlin
when she was only eight months
old. She had a nomadic childhood
as her family settled in many
different countries, from Iran to
Switzerland, where she studied in
a boarding school at Montreux.

166. Princess Soraya with her brother, Bijan

167. Soraya with mother and father

168. Soraya Esfandiari Bakthiari was Iranian through her father abnd
German through her mother. 1932: June 22, Soraya was born in
Isfahan, Iran.

170. Soraya with her mother Eva and brother Bijan

171. Soraya and friend in Berlin Zoo

172. Soraya with mother Eva and
brother Bijan
in 1947
Soraya in 1947

173. Bhaktiar Family

174. Soraya's German Grandparents, Mr. & Mrs. Karl

175. Bibi Maryam, Paternal Grand mother and Esfandiar Khan , Paternal
Grand father

180. Princess Soraya became Empress of Iran when she was barely
16, but was repudiated by her husband seven years later for
not being able to bear him an heir to the peacock throne.

183. Though her father hoped she would secure herself a well-to-
do husband at an early age, yet Soraya had other plans. She
persuaded him to let her live in London when she was just 16,
where she was befriended by the Shah’s sister, Princess
Chams.
When the newly-divorced Iranian ruler saw a picture of the
dark-haired, emerald-eyed teenager, he was smitten. After
their first meeting he asked her father Khalil for Soraya’s hand
in marriage.

186. The bride wore a beautifully crafted
wedding dress by Christian Dior
consisting of 37 yards of silver lace
with 20,000 feathers and 6,000
diamond pieces sewn on.

188. The ceremony was
decorated with 1.5
tonnes of orchids,
tulips, and
carnations, sent by
plane from the
Netherlands, and
entertainment
included an
equestrian circus
sent from Rome.
The bride wore a
silver lamé gown
studded with pearls
and trimmed with
marabou stork
feathers, designed
for the occasion by
Christian Dior. She
also wore a full-
length female
white-mink cape.

192. Soraya married the Shah
at Marble Palace, Tehran, on
12 February 1951

200. Shah of Iran with his spouse, Princess Soraya
and their German Shepherd

204. Soon after her marriage with Shah, Queen Soraya
busied herself with renovating and fixing up their
residential palaces and attending to charity
organizations formed under her patronage.
"Queen Soraya Pahlavi Charity" was the principal charity
of her patronage, which was formed and managed
efficiently by Forough Zafar.

205. GIFTS FOR THE WEDDING
a Steuben glass Bowl of
Legends designed by Sidney
Waugh and sent by U.S.
President and Mrs. Truman
a mink coat and a
desk set with
black diamonds
sent by Joseph
Stalin
Silver Georgian
candlesticks from King
George VI and Queen
Elizabeth

208. Alam (second from left) with Queen Soraya
Esfandiari

214. When she was 20, her husband started
forcing her to produce an heir to the
throne, but Soraya was unable to have
children. As per the Persian constitution, if
the Shah had no issue, then the royal line
would end. Soraya left Iran, on the seventh
anniversary of her fairy-tale marriage. A
month later, the Shah divorced her.

216. One day in July 1957 the couple went for a long
walk in the Palace grounds. The Shah talked about
the dynasty's survival and brought up the heir issue
and the fact that they would soon have to make a
decision no matter how painful. They talked about
alternatives like the Shah taking a second wife and
perhaps changing the constitution to allow one of
his half brothers to become king after him. They
couldn't agree on any of these alternatives and
found each one unacceptable. They finally decided
with tears in their eyes and with very heavy hearts,
to separate. Before departure for Europe, Soraya
burnt all her personal papers; packed her souvenirs
and gifts she had received, and left Tehran on the
14th of February 1958 never to see her beloved
country again.

217. On 21 March 1958, the
Iranian New Year's Day, a
weeping Shah announced
his divorce to the Iranian
people in a speech that was
broadcast on radio and
television; he said that he
would not remarry in haste.
The headline-making
divorce inspired French
songwriter Françoise
Mallet-Jorris to write a hit
pop song, Je veux pleurer
comme Soraya (I Want to
Cry Like Soraya). The
marriage was officially
ended on 6 April 1958.

218. Though the wedding took place during a heavy snow, deemed a
good omen, the imperial couple's marriage had disintegrated by
early 1958 owing to Soraya's apparent infertility, for which she had
sought treatment in Switzerland and France, and the Shah's
suggestion that he take a second wife in order to produce an heir.
She left Iran in February and eventually went to her parents' home
in Cologne, Germany, where the Shah sent his wife's uncle, Senator
Sardar Assad Bakhtiari in early March, 1958, in a failed attempt to
convince her to return to Iran. On 10 March, a council of advisers
met with the Shah to discuss the situation of the troubled marriage
and the lack of an heir. Four days later, it was announced that the
imperial couple would divorce. It was, the 25-year-old queen said,
"a sacrifice of my own happiness."She later told reporters that her
husband had no choice but to divorce her.

219. In a statement issued to the Iranian people from her
parents' home in Germany, Soraya said, "Since His
Imperial Majesty Reza Shah Pahlavi has deemed it
necessary that a successor to the throne must be of
direct descent in the male line from generation to
generation to generation, I will with my deepest
regret in the interest of the future of the State and
of the welfare of the people in accordance with the
desire of His Majesty the Emperor sacrifice my own
happiness, and I will declare my consent to a
separation from His Imperial Majesty."

220. The Shah and Soraya divorced on the
14th March 1958 after 7 years of
marriage. They had already said their
sad tearful good byes in private. Their
love for one another remained until
the end. Soraya began her grief in
private and in dignity like a true
Bakhtiari.

221. After the divorce, the Shah, who had told a
reporter who asked about his feelings for the
former Queen that "nobody can carry a torch
longer than me", indicated his interest in marrying
Princess Maria Gabriella of Savoy, a daughter of
the deposed Italian king Umberto II. In an editorial
about the rumors surrounding the marriage of "a
Muslim sovereign and a Catholic princess", the
Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano,
considered the match "a grave danger."

222. Upon the divorce, Soraya ceased being a queen, but a day later she was
granted the personal style and title Her Imperial Highness Princess
Soraya of Iran.

223. The period of sadness and aimless life
seemed to have no end for her. Now alone
and without any aids or protection of the
Imperial court, she had to do everything
herself, and even harder still was that she
now had to learn how to live the life of an
ordinary citizen again.
She was alone, frightened, and uncertain of
her future. Her only security and comfort
was in her immediate family. She began
traveling extensively.

224. She was allured by the movie industry as it had always been
her dream to one day become a movie star. She met Dino de
Laurentis at a party one evening in Rome. Dino offered her a
role in a movie he was making. Soraya readily accepted. The
movie's title was "Three faces of a woman" and Mauro
Bolognini, Michelangelo Antonioni and Franco Indovina
directed it. The movie was a disaster.
The rumor has it that when the Shah heard that Soraya was to
appear in a movie, he was so infuriated that the whole world
would now see his ex-wife in romantic scenes that he ordered
all the copies be bought and destroyed. Soraya kept one copy,
which was eventually sold at the auction of her estate in Paris
in May of 2002 together with all her personal effects.

225. CAREER AS AN ACTRESS
Having granted the royal title Princess of Iran soon after her
divorce, she moved to France.
Princess Soraya launched a brief career as a film actress, for
which she used only her first name. Initially, it was announced
that she would portray Catherine the Great in a movie about the
Russian empress by Dino De Laurentiis , but that project fell
through. Instead, she starred in the 1965 movie I tre volti (The
Three Faces)and became the companion of its Italian
director, Franco Indovina (1932–72). She also appeared as a
character named Soraya in the 1965 movie She. After Indovina's
death in a plane crash, she spent the remainder of her life in
Europe, succumbing to depression, which she outlined in her
1991 memoir, Le Palais Des Solitudes (The Palace of Loneliness).

226. Princess Soraya of Iran, filming next to ancient ruins, 1964.

227. Movie Poster
Auction of Soraya's belongings

228. With Austrian Swiss actor, Maximilian Schell in

231. Princess of Loneliness, Soraya Esfandiary

232. MEMOIRS
Princess Soraya wrote two memoirs. The first, published in 1964 and
published in the United States by Doubleday, wasPrincess Soraya:
Autobiography of Her Imperial Highness. A decade before her death,
she and a collaborator, Louis Valentin, wrote another memoir in
French, Le Palais des Solitudes (Paris: France Loisirs/Michel Laffon,
1991), which was translated into English as Palace of Solitude (London:
Quartet Books Ltd, 1992); ISBN 0-7043-7020-4.

235. LEGACY
Soraya's divorce from the Shah inspired French songwriter
Francoise Mallet-Jorris to write "Je veux pleurer comme Soraya“
(I Want to Cry Like Soraya). The French rose grower, François
Meilland, bred a sunflower in the former queen's honor, which he
called Empress Soraya.
An Italian/German television movie about the princess's
life, Soraya (a.k.a. Sad Princess) was broadcast in 2003, starring
Anna Valle (Miss Italy 1995) as Soraya and Erol Sander as the
Shah. French actress Mathilda May appeared as the Shah's sister,
Princess Shams Pahlavi.

237. FILMOGRAPHY
FILM AND TELEVISION
YEAR TITLE ROLE NOTES
1953 ZWISCHEN GLUCK KRONE Herself Archive footage
1963 I tre volti Herself/Linda
/Mrs. Melville
1965 She Soraya
1998 Legenden Herself Episode: “Soraya”

244. EMPRESS SORAYA’S JEWELLERY
Empress Soraya's- Ruby & Diamond In Brooch & Ring - 1954

245. Emerald & diamond In Ear Clips & Ring, By Van Cleef

247. Sapphire & Diamonds In Necklace With A
Diamond Ring

248. A Turquoise & Diamond Set

250. Iranian Jewels
belonging to Empress
Soraya by Bvlgari
Empress
Soraya,
This
stunning
diamond
necklace
from
Bulgari

251. IRANIAN CROWN JEWELS WORN BY EMPRESS SORAYA
Iranian Crown Jewel Emeralds worn by Queen Soraya for her 1951 wedding.

252. First created for the Shah's second wife Princess Soraya. Made by Arthus
Bertrand of Paris and the same was worn by Princess Farah, Sha’s third
wife

253. ANTIQUE VINTAGE FOOTWEAR AND
ACCESSORIES

254. Princess Soraya's Antique Roger Vivier Shoes

255. Soraya lived in Rome for
a while heart broken
and a recluse. She
rented a pretty villa
located among
vineyards, thirty
minutes from Rome.
Italian Film Director offered her the role in a movie

256. IN EXILE IN ROME
She became restless and
during the summer months
when Rome became too hot,
she traveled to Northern
Europe and stayed in Cologne
for a while with her mother
with whom she felt secure.

257. Enjoying the company of her mother

258. In 1963, with mother Eva

259. Princess Soraya Esfandiary with her mother, Eva

261. Princess celebrates her birthday

262. In the European society, she
took precedence over many
members of the highest
nobility. She enjoyed the
diplomatic passport and the
privileges that came with it
until the 1979 Iranian
revolution when King Hassan
of Morocco ordered that a
Moroccan diplomatic
passport be issued to her.
Eventually, she became a
German citizen just a few
years before her death.

263. With her brother Bijan in later years
Soraya continued her life in Paris and spent her summers at her Villa Maryam (named after
her grandmother) in Marbella, Spain. She led a high social life and spent her time with a
select few friends. The sad end came at 2 PM Thursday 25th of October 2001. She was
only 69. She was found dead by her maid on the floor of her bedroom in her apartment at
46 Ave Montaign. She died due to massive brain hemorrhage . Bijan (1937–2001) (who
died in Paris one week after Soraya), sadly commented, "After her, I don't have anyone to
talk to.“
The service at the American Church in Paris, a close walking distance from Soraya's
apartment was arranged for the 7th of November 2001 and her brother Bijan along with
other family members and Paris dignitaries were to attend the services. Bijan, aided by a
companion, traveled by car from Koln a few days earlier. Sadly while staying at Hotel George
V in Paris, Bijan died suddenly before he could attend the funeral of his sister

264. The memorial service began at 3 PM when the coffin was
brought in draped in blue silk and adorned with a single
rose carried by 6 pallbearers.
A distinguished former cabinet minister of Iran, Dr. Majid
Majidi spoke on behalf of the Iranian exiles in France and
expressed his condolences to the Bakhtiari family for their
loss. Iranian soprano, Darya Dadvar delivered a beautiful
Ava Maria by Franz Schubert to the music of the organist.

265. As a young girl, Soraya had pictures of some
movie stars framed, in addition to a photo of the
young Shah. She would tell all her friends and
cousins that one day she will either become an
actress or marry the king. None of her aspirations
brought her lasting happiness.

268. REFERENCES
1. Hello! HelloMagazine.com
2. Business India
3. Soraya, Queen of Persia by Walter W. Krause 1956 London
4. Soraya, The Autobiography of Her Imperial Highness. Doubleday
& Co., New York. As recalled by Marie Meghdadi, Forough Zafar's
daughter. As recalled and told by Princess Soraya to her close
friends
5. Autobiography of H.I.H, Princess Soraya; English translation from
German.
6. Soraya, The Autobiography of H.R.H. Princess Soraya. Page 93.
Doubleday and Company, NY 1964
7. "Mission for My Country" by Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
Hutchinson & Co. Ltd. 1961
8. Autobiography of Soraya "Le Palais Des Soltudes". 1st Edition,
Michel Lafon, 1991