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

Pahlavi dynasty The Pahlavi dynasty ( fa, دودمان پهلوی) was the last Iranian royal dynasty, ruling for almost 54 years between 1925 and 1979. The dynasty was founded by Reza Shah Pahlavi, a non-aristocratic Mazanderani soldier in modern times, who ...

, being daughter of

Ashraf Pahlavi Ashraf ol-Molouk Pahlavi ( fa, اشرف‌الملوک پهلوی, , 26 October 1919 – 7 January 2016) was the twin sister of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran (Persia), and a member of the Pahlavi dynasty. She was considered the "pow ...

. Following the

Iranian revolution The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dyna ...

that toppled her uncle,

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi Mohammad Reza Pahlavi ( fa, محمدرضا پهلوی, ; 26 October 1919 – 27 July 1980), also known as Mohammad Reza Shah (), was the last ''Shah'' (King) of the Imperial State of Iran from 16 September 1941 until his overthrow in the Irani ...

, 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 following the Iranian revolution. 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 from 1984 to 1991.

Death

Shafiq died of

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in 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 21st-century Iranian women politicians 1951 births 2011 deaths Deaths from cancer in France Deaths from leukemia Exiles of the Iranian Revolution in France Iranian activists Iranian emigrants to France Iranian people of Egyptian descent Mazandarani people Pahlavi princesses People of the Iranian Revolution