Farah Pahlavi

This situation furthermore left the young family in a difficult financial state. In these reduced circumstances, they were forced to move from their large family villa in northern Tehran into a shared apartment with one of Farideh Ghotbi's brothers.

The young Farah Diba began her education at Tehran's Italian School, then moved to the French Jeanne d'Arc School and later to the Lycee Razi. She was an accomplished athlete in her youth and became captain of her school's basketball team. Upon finishing her studies at the Lycee Razi, she pursued an interest in architecture at the École Spéciale d'Architecture in Paris, where she was a student of Albert Besson.

Many Iranian students who were studying abroad at this time were dependent on State sponsorship in order to do so. Therefore when the Shah, as head of state, made official visits to foreign countries, he would frequently meet with a selection of local Iranian students. It was during such a meeting in 1959 at the Iranian Embassy in Paris that Farah Diba was first presented to Mohammed Reza Pahlavi. Read Less

It was again confirmed when the Shah named her as the official Empress Regent should he die or be incapacitated before the Crown Prince's 21st birthday. The naming of a woman as Regent was highly unusual for a Middle-Eastern Monarchy.

Farah's tenure as Empress was not without controversy. The causes she championed and her role in government sometimes came into conflict with certain groups, particularly religious conservatives. This group's dissatisfaction was aimed at the entire Pahlavi government and not solely at the Empress. Although not the source of the animosity, the Empress became its target.

She, along with the entire Pahlavi government, was criticized for what were perceived as excesses. Two State occasions garnered particular ire, the elaborate Coronation ceremonies in 1967, but predominantly the 2,500 year celebration of Iran's monarchy held in 1971 in the ancient city of Persepolis. While the Empress herself defended this event as a magnificent showcase of Iran's history and its contemporary advancements, critics claimed the cost (which although disputed was certainly in the tens of millions of dollars) was far too high, given the other more pressing financial needs of the country. Read Less