Shahnaz Pahlavi (born 27 October 1940) is the eldest daughter of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran, and his first wife, Princess Fawzia of Egypt. She is a member of the Pahlavi dynasty, which ruled Iran from 1925 until the Iranian Revolution of 1979.
Early life and education
Shahnaz was born in Tehran, Iran. As a member of the royal family, she received a private education and later attended schools abroad, including institutions in the United Kingdom and France, where she completed secondary education and pursued higher studies. Specific details of her university education are not widely documented in reliable secondary sources.
Family
- Parents: Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (1919–1980) and Princess Fawzia of Egypt (1921–2013).
- Siblings: She has several half‑siblings, most notably Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi (born 1960), the son of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and his third wife, Empress Farah Diba.
Marriages and issue
Shahnaz Pahlavi has been married twice. Her first marriage, in 1964, was to a French businessman; the marriage ended in divorce. In 1971 she married a second husband, a businessman of Iranian descent, with whom she has one son. Exact names and further biographical details of her spouses and child are not extensively covered in publicly available encyclopedic sources.
Later life
Following the 1979 Iranian Revolution, Shahnaz Pahlavi left Iran and has lived abroad, primarily in the United States and Europe. She has kept a low public profile and does not hold any official political role. Information regarding her professional activities or public engagements after exile is limited in reliable references.
Public perception
As a member of the former ruling family, Shahnaz Pahlavi is occasionally mentioned in discussions of Iran’s modern history and the Pahlavi dynasty, but she has not been a central political figure.
References
- Encyclopaedia Iranica (entry on the Pahlavi family).
- Biographical entries in reputable news archives (e.g., The New York Times, The Guardian) that reference the Shah’s children.
Note: While basic biographical data such as birth date, parentage, and general life events are well‑documented, detailed information about Shahnaz Pahlavi’s education, marital partners, and post‑revolution activities remains limited in verifiable sources.