The Enigmatic Love Story of Soraya Esfandiari Bakhtiari and Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
A Fairytale Wedding
Soraya Esfandiari Bakhtiari's wedding was nothing short of a fairytale. She never envisioned herself marrying Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran. Born on June 22, 1932, to a German mother and an Iranian father from the Bakhtiari lineage, she spent her childhood between Isfahan and Europe, enjoying a progressive upbringing. Soraya tied the knot with Mohammad Reza on February 12, 1951, after he divorced his first wife, Princess Fawzia, sister of Egypt's King Farouk. While in London, the Shah's sister spotted Soraya and referred to her as a rare pearl. The Shah needed to remarry to ensure the continuation of the royal line, as he had a daughter but no male heirs. According to Stephanie Bridger-Linning in Tatler, the story goes that the recently divorced prince fell for an image of the 18-year-old Soraya and quickly invited her to dinner with the queen mother, Tadj ol-Molouk. Following that evening, Soraya's father reportedly asked her if she was ready to marry the Shah, as he had expressed great interest in her. The couple became engaged the very next day, and she received a stunning 22.37-carat diamond engagement ring.
Despite their love, Muslim clerics opposed their union due to Soraya's German Catholic heritage and her upbringing outside of Islam. Nevertheless, the Shah was determined to marry her, even as she battled a severe case of typhoid fever. Legend has it that he brought her jewelry daily during her illness. The wedding, initially set for December 27, 1950, was postponed to February 12, 1951, and despite her not being fully recovered, the ceremony proceeded. The extravagant event at Golestan Palace featured Soraya in a breathtaking Christian Dior gown crafted from 37 yards of silver lamé, adorned with pearls, 6,000 diamonds, and 20,000 marabou feathers. Her ensemble, which included a jacket and veil, weighed over 20 kilograms, leading to the trimming of eight meters from the train for ease of movement.
However, the honeymoon phase was short-lived as the pressure for a male heir intensified. Queen Soraya struggled with infertility, and doctors indicated that conceiving would be challenging. The situation worsened with the tragic death of the Shah's younger brother, Prince Ali Reza, in a plane crash, leaving the succession uncertain. The Shah urgently needed an heir, and with Soraya unable to conceive, the strain on their marriage grew unbearable. Although the Shah proposed taking a second wife, Soraya refused to share his affections. Ultimately, they decided to end their marriage, which was publicly announced on March 14, 1958. Following the divorce, she became known as 'the princess with the sad eyes.'
Post-divorce, Soraya led a glamorous life and even ventured into acting, appearing in the 1965 film I tre volti. However, true happiness eluded her, especially after her relationship with director Franco Indovina ended tragically with his death in a plane crash. In her later years, she reached out to her ex-husband, who was suffering from cancer, hoping to reconnect. Unfortunately, by the time she arrived in Cairo, where he was living in exile, he had already passed away. Historian Abbas Milani characterized their love story as that of true 'star-crossed lovers.' Soraya passed away on October 26, 2001, in Paris.