Queen Soraya was Iran’s lost empress—and she lived a life filled with dazzling beauty, royal betrayal, and enduring tragedy.

Queen Soraya was Iran’s lost empress—and she lived a life filled with dazzling beauty, royal betrayal, and enduring tragedy.

In some corners of the world, all it takes is a hushed mention of “Queen Soraya” to summon a tale of dazzling beauty, royal betrayal, and enduring tragedy. From a teenage marriage to a mysterious end in a Paris penthouse, Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiary’s life reads like a darkly twisted fairy tale. It’s no wonder they called her “the sad-eyed princess.”


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