Royal Facts About Queen Soraya, Iran’s Lost Empress
In certain corners of the world, someone only has to whisper the name “Queen Soraya” to conjure up a story of sweeping beauty, royal betrayal, and lasting tragedy.
From a teenage marriage to her mysterious end in a Paris penthouse, Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiary’s heartbreaking life is worthy of a twisted fairy tale. There’s a reason they called her “the sad-eyed princess”.
Queen Soraya of Iran Facts
1. She Was A Spoiled Heiress
Soraya was groomed for a royal destiny from the very start. The only daughter of Iranian nobleman Khalil Esfandiary and his wife, the German heiress Eva Karl, Soraya grew up in luxury and spent her adolescence shuttling between Berlin and Isfahan while attending the best finishing schools. But even these refined places couldn't hide her worst quality.
2. She Had A Foul Temper
Soraya was famous for her half-Iranian, half-German good looks even as a gangly teen—but underneath she wasn't so pretty. She had a notoriously Teutonic, brusque manner coupled with a bad temper, and could snap in an instant when someone annoyed her. All the same, though, she still had that face...and fate was coming for her.
3. A Single Photo Made Her Queen
Soraya’s legendary beauty preceded her, quite literally. Around 1948, the Queen Mother of Iran, Tadj ol-Molouk, was on the lookout to get her son Shah Mohammad Reza a new wife. She landed on Soraya in an incredible way. Tadj happened to see just a single photo of the girl and decided that she looked like queen material for her son.
What a fairy tale, right? Well, no. There were some disturbing signs from the start.
