Azadeh Shafiq (; 1951 – 23 February 2011) was an Iranian royal and a member of the

Pahlavi dynasty The Pahlavi dynasty () is an List of monarchs of Iran, Iranian royal dynasty that was the Pahlavi Iran, last to rule Iran before the country's monarchy was abolished by the Iranian Revolution in 1979. It was founded in 1925 by Reza Shah, Reza S ...

, being daughter of

Ashraf Pahlavi Ashraf ol-Molouk Pahlavi (, , 26 October 1919 – 7 January 2016) was the twin sister of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the late Shah of Iran (Persia), and a member of the Pahlavi dynasty. She was considered the "power behind her brother" and was instru ...

. Following the

Iranian revolution The Iranian Revolution (, ), also known as the 1979 Revolution, or the Islamic Revolution of 1979 (, ) was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979. The revolution led to the replacement of the Impe ...

that toppled her uncle,

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (26 October 1919 – 27 July 1980) was the last List of monarchs of Iran, Shah of Iran, ruling from 1941 to 1979. He succeeded his father Reza Shah and ruled the Imperial State of Iran until he was overthrown by the ...

, she exiled in Paris and involved in opposition activities to the Islamic regime in Iran.

Early life and education

Shafiq was born in 1951. She was the daughter of Ashraf Pahlavi, twin sister of the Shah Mohammad Reza, and her Egyptian second husband, Ahmad Shafiq. She had a brother, Shahriar. Although her parents were divorced in 1960, her father did not return to Egypt and stayed in Tehran to raise his children. She was educated in German school in Tehran and in France.

Personal life and activities

Shafiq married twice. She married Farshad Vahid in 1972 and they had a son, Kamran (born 1973). She divorced from Vahid in 1975. She later wed a former Iranian military officer. She began to live in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

following the

. Later her brother joined her and they shared the Ashraf Pahlavi's residence near Rue Pergolese. They both acted as the Pahlavi family's principal spokesmen. She participated in protests and opposition activities against the Islamic regime. She supported efforts to restore the monarchy in Iran and headed a monarchist group, Free Iran movement in Paris. In 1979 she began to publish a weekly magazine, ''Iran-e Azad'', which was disbanded in the 1980s. She served as a social and humanitarian worker with the Iranian community in

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

from 1984 to 1991.

Death

Shafiq died of

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia; pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and produce high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or '' ...

in Paris on 23 February 2011.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shafiq, Azadeh 20th-century Iranian women politicians 1951 births 2011 deaths Deaths from leukemia in France Exiles of the Iranian Revolution in France Iranian activists Iranian emigrants to France Iranian people of Egyptian descent Pahlavi princesses People of the Iranian Revolution Women in the Iranian Revolution