Empress Farah
Empress of Iran
Empress consort of Iran
Tenure	26 October 1967 – 11 February 1979 (&1000000000000001100000011 years, &10000000000000108000000108 days)
Coronation	26 October 1967
Queen consort of Iran
Tenure	21 December 1959 – 26 October 1967 (&100000000000000070000007 years, &10000000000000309000000309 days)
Spouse	Mohammed Reza Pahlavi
Issue
Reza, Crown Prince of Iran Princess Farahnaz of Iran Prince Ali-Reza of Iran Princess Leila of Iran
Full name
English: Farah Persian: فرح‎
House	House of Pahlavi
Father	Sohrab Diba
Mother	Farideh Ghotbi
Born	(1938-10-14) 14 October 1938 (age 73) Tehran,[1] Iran
Signature
Religion	Shi'a Islam

Farah Pahlavi (Persian: فرح پهلوی‎, Azerbaijani: فرح پهلوی; born Farah Diba, 14 October 1938, Tehran)^[2] is the former Queen and Empress of Iran. She is the widow of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, and only Empress (Shahbanou) of modern Iran. She was Queen consort of Iran from 1959 until 1967 and Empress consort from 1967 until exile in 1979.

Though the titles and distinctions of the Iranian Imperial Family were abolished within Iran by the Islamic government, she is still styled Empress or Shahbanou, out of courtesy, by the foreign media as well as by supporters of the monarchy. Some countries, such as the United States of America, Denmark, Spain and Germany, still address the former Empress as Her Imperial Majesty The Shahbanou of Iran in official documents, for example Royal wedding guest lists.

Childhood[link]

Farah Diba was born on 14 October 1938 in the Iranian capital Tehran, to an upper class family.^[3][4] Born as Farah Diba, she was the only child of Captain Sohrab Diba and his wife, Farideh Ghotbi. Farah Pahlavi's father's family is of Azerbaijani origin.^[5][6] In her memoir, the former Empress writes that her father's family were natives of Iranian Azarbaijan while her mother's family were from Gilan Province (Lahijan) on the Iranian coast of the Caspian Sea.^[7]

Through her father, Farah came from a relatively affluent background. In the late 19th century her grandfather had been an accomplished diplomat, serving as the Iranian Ambassador to the Romanov Court in Moscow, Russia. Her own father was an officer in the Imperial Iranian Armed Forces and a graduate of the prestigious French Military Academy at St. Cyr.

Farah enjoyed an extremely close bond with her father and his unexpected death in 1948 deeply affected her.^[8] This tragic 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.

Education and engagement[link]

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.

After returning to Tehran in the summer of 1959, the Shah and Farah Diba began a carefully choreographed courtship, orchestrated in part by the Shah’s daughter Princess Shahnaz. The couple announced their engagement on 23 November 1959.

Marriage and family[link]

The Imperial Family after the coronation ceremonies in 1967.

Farah Diba married Shah Mohammed Reza on 21 December 1959, aged 21. The young Queen of Iran (as she was styled at the time) was the object of much curiosity and her wedding garnered worldwide press attention. Her gown was by Yves St Laurent, then a designer at the house of Dior,^[9] and she wore the newly-commissioned Noor-ol-Ain Diamond tiara.

After the pomp and celebrations associated with the Royal wedding were completed, the success of this union became contingent upon the Queen’s ability to produce a male heir. Although he had been married twice before, the Shah’s previous marriages had given him only a daughter, who under agnatic primogeniture could not inherit the throne. The pressure for the young Queen was acute. The Shah himself was deeply anxious to have a male heir as were the members of his government.^[10] It was, furthermore, no secret that the dissolution of the Shah’s previous marriage to Queen Soraya had been due to her infertility.^[11]

The long-awaited heir, Reza Pahlavi, was born on 30 October 1960. Together the couple would go on to have four children:

• H.I.H. Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi (born 30 October 1960)
• H.I.H. Princess Farahnaz Pahlavi (born 12 March 1963)
• H.I.H. Prince Ali Reza Pahlavi (28 April 1966 – 4 January 2011)
• H.I.H. Princess Leila Pahlavi ( 27 March 1970 – 10 June 2001)

As Queen and Empress[link]

The exact role which the new Queen would play if any, in public or government affairs, was uncertain. Within the Imperial Household, her public function was secondary to the far more pressing matter of assuring the succession. However, after the birth of the Crown Prince, the new Queen was free to devote more of her time to other activities and official pursuits.

Farah Pahlavi at work in her office in Tehran, 1970s.

Not unlike many other Royal consorts, the young Queen initially limited herself to a ceremonial role. She spent much of her time attending the openings of various education and health-care institutions, without venturing too deeply into issues of controversy. However, as time progressed, this position changed. The Queen became much more actively involved in government affairs where it concerned issues and causes that interested her. She used her proximity and influence with her husband, the Shah, to secure funding and focus attention on causes, particularly in the areas of women's rights and cultural development.

Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, Shah of Iran, and his wife, Empress Farah, wave goodbye prior to boarding an aircraft after a visit to the United States.

Eventually, the Queen came to preside over a staff of 40 workers who handled various requests for assistance on a range of issues. She became one of the most highly visible figures in the Imperial Government and the patron of 24 educational, health and cultural organizations. Her humanitarian role earned her immense popularity for a time, particularly in the early 1970s.^[12] During this period, she travelled a great deal within Iran, visiting some of the remotest parts of the country and meeting with the local citizens.

The Imperial Government in Tehran was not unaware of her popularity. Her significance was exemplified by her part in the 1967 Coronation Ceremonies, where she was crowned as the first Shahbanou, or Empress, of modern Iran. 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.^[12]

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.^{[citation needed]} 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.^{[citation needed]}

She, along with the entire Pahlavi government, was criticized for what were perceived as excesses.^{[citation needed]} 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^{[citation needed]}) was far too high, given the other more pressing financial needs of the country.^{[citation needed]}

Contributions to art and culture[link]

Iranian Imperial Family

HIH The Crown Prince HIH The Crown Princess HIH Princess Noor HIH Princess Iman HIH Princess Farah HIM Empress Farah HIH Princess Shahnaz HIH Princess Farahnaz HIH Prince Ali-Reza† HIH Princess Iryana Extended imperial family HIH Princess Ashraf HIH Prince Ali Patrick HIH Princess Sonja HIH Prince Davoud HIH Princess Solvène HIH Prince Houd HIH Prince Yunes HIH Princess Iryana Leila HIH Prince Gholam Reza HIH Princess Manizheh HIH Prince Bahman HIH Princess Shohreh HIH Princess Nazbanoo HIH Princess Maryam HIH Princess Azardokht HIH Prince Bahram HIH Prince Kamyar HIH Princess Sarvnaz HIH Prince Shahrukh HIH Princess Shahlah HIH Prince Shahin HIH Prince Iskander HIH Prince Zachary HIH Prince Gregory HIH Princess Zara HIH Princess Shahrnaz HIH Princess Parinaz HIH Princess Niloufar HIH Princess Nazak HIH Prince Ja'afar v t e

From even the beginning of her reign, the Empress took an active interest in promoting culture and the arts in Iran. Through her patronage, numerous organizations were created and fostered to further her ambition of bringing historical and contemporary Iranian Art to prominence both inside Iran and in the Western world.

In addition to her own efforts, the Empress sought to achieve this goal with the assistance of various foundations and advisers. Her ministry encouraged many forms of artistic expression, including traditional Iranian arts (such as weaving, singing, and poetry recital) as well as Western theatre. Her most recognized endeavour supporting the performing arts was her patronage of the Shiraz Arts Festival. This occasionally controversial event was held annually from 1967 until 1977 and featured live performances by both Iranian and Western artists.^[13]

The majority of her time, however, went into the creation of museums and the building of their collections.

Ancient art[link]

An historically culturally-rich country, the Iran of the 1960s had little to show for it. Many of the great artistic treasures produced during its 2,500-year history had found their way into the hands of foreign museums and private collections. It became one of the Empress's principal goals to procure for Iran an appropriate collection of their own historic artifacts. To that end, she secured from her husband’s Government permission and funds to ‘buy back’ a wide selection of Iranian artifacts from foreign and domestic collections. This was achieved with the help of the brothers Houshang and Mehdi Mahboubian, the most prominent Iranian antiquities dealers of the era, who advised the Empress from 1972 to 1978.^[14] With these artifacts she founded several national museums (many of which still survive to this day) and began an Iranian version of the National Trust.^[15]

Museums and cultural centres created under her guidance include the Negarestan Cultural Center, the Reza Abbasi Museum, the Khorramabad Museum with its valuable collection of Lorestān bronzes, the National Carpet Gallery and the Abgineh Museum for ceramics and glass works.^[16]

Contemporary art[link]

Aside from building a collection of historic Iranian artifacts, the Empress also expressed interest in acquiring contemporary Western and Iranian art. To this end, she put her significant patronage behind the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art. The fruits of her work in founding and expanding that institution are perhaps the Empress' most enduring cultural legacy to the people of Iran.

Using funds allocated from the Government, the Empress took advantage of a somewhat depressed art market of the 1970s to purchase several important works of Western art. Under her guidance,^{[citation needed]} the Museum acquired nearly 150 great works by such notable artists as Pablo Picasso, Claude Monet, George Grosz, Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock, and Roy Lichtenstein. Today, the collection of the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art is widely considered to be one of the finest 20th-century Western art collections in the world, in addition to being the most significant outside of Europe and the United States. It is somewhat remarkable then, according to Parviz Tanavoli, a modern Iranian sculptor and a former Cultural Adviser to the Empress, that the impressive collection was amassed for "tens, not hundreds, of millions of dollars".^[15] Today, the value of these holdings are conservatively estimated to be near US$ 2.8 billion.^[17]

The collection created a conundrum for the anti-western Islamic Republic which took power after the fall of the Pahlavi Dynasty in 1979. Although politically the fundamentalist government rejected Western influence in Iran, the Western art collection amassed by the Empress was retained, most likely due to its enormous value. It was, nevertheless, not publicly displayed and spent nearly two decades in storage in the vaults of the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art. This caused much speculation as to the fate of the artwork which was only put to rest after a large portion of the collection was briefly seen again in an exhibition that took place in Tehran during September 2005.^[17]

The Iranian Revolution[link]

The Shah and Empress Farah shortly before leaving Iran in 1979.

In Iran by early 1978, a number of factors contributed to the internal dissatisfaction with the Imperial Government becoming more pronounced.

Discontent within the country continued to escalate and later in the year led to demonstrations against the monarchy.^[18] The Empress could not help but be aware of the disturbances and records in her memoirs that during this time ‘there was an increasingly palpable sense of unease’. Under these circumstances most of the Empress’ official activities were cancelled due to concerns for her safety.^[10]

As the year came to a close, the political situation deteriorated further. Riots and unrest grew more frequent, culminating in January 1979. The government enacted martial law in most major Iranian cities and the country was on the verge of an open revolution.

It was at this time, in response to the violent protests, that the Shah and Empress Farah determined to leave the country. Both the Shah and Shahbanu departed Iran via aircraft on 16 January 1979.

Farah Pahlavi's doodled picture at anti-Pahlavi protesters hands

After leaving Iran[link]

The question of where the Shah and Empress would go upon leaving Iran was the subject of some debate, even among the monarch and his advisers.^[19] During his reign, the Shah had maintained close relations with Egyptian President Anwar El Sadat and the Empress had developed a close friendship with the President’s wife, Jehan Al Sadat. The Egyptian President extended an invitation to the Imperial Couple for asylum in Egypt and they accepted.

Due to the political situation unfolding in Iran, many governments, including those which had been on friendly terms with the Iranian Monarchy prior to the revolution, saw the Shah’s presence within their borders as a liability. Although a callous reversal, this was not entirely unfounded as the Revolutionary Government in Iran had ordered the arrest (and later death) of both the Shah and Empress Farah. The new Iranian Government would go on to vehemently demand their extradition a number of times but the extent to which it would act in pressuring foreign powers for the deposed monarch's return (and presumably that of the Empress) was at that time unknown. Regardless, the predicament was complex.^[20]

The Shah and Empress were far from unaware of this complexity and cognizant of the potential danger which their presence carried to their host. In response, the Imperial Couple left Egypt, beginning a fourteen-month long search for permanent asylum and a journey which took them through many different countries. After Egypt, they first traveled to Morocco, where they were briefly the guests of King Hassan II.

After leaving Morocco, the Shah and Empress were granted temporary refuge in the Bahamas and given use of a small beach property located on Paradise Island. Ironically, Empress Farah recalls the time spent at this pleasantly named location as some of the ‘darkest days in her life’.^[10] After their Bahaman visas expired and were not renewed, they made an appeal to Mexico, which was granted, and rented a villa in Cuernavaca near Mexico City.

The Shah’s illness[link]

After leaving Egypt the Shah’s health began a rapid decline due to a long-term battle with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The seriousness of that illness brought the now exiled Imperial couple briefly to the United States in search of medical treatment. The couple’s presence in the United States further inflamed the already tense relations between Washington and the revolutionaries in Tehran. The Shah’s stay in the US, although for genuine medical purposes, became the tipping point for renewed hostilities between the two nations. These events ultimately led to the attack and takeover of the American Embassy in Tehran in what became known as the Iran hostage crisis.

In these difficult circumstances, the Shah and Empress were not given permission to remain in the United States. A short time after receiving basic medical attention, the couple again departed to Latin America, although this time destined for Contadora Island in Panama.

By now, both the Shah and Empress viewed the Carter Administration with some antipathy in response to a lack of support and were initially pleased to leave. That attitude, however soured as speculation arose that the Panamanian Government was seeking to arrest the Shah in preparation for extradition to Iran.^[21] Under these conditions the Shah and Empress again made an appeal to President Anwar El Sadat to return to Egypt (for her part Empress Farah writes that this plea was made through a conversation between herself and Jehan Al Sadat). Their request was granted and they returned to Egypt in March 1980, where they remained until the Shah’s death four months later on 27 July 1980.

Life in exile[link]

After the Shah’s death, the exiled Empress remained in Egypt for nearly two years. President Sadat gave her and her family use of Koubbeh Palace in Cairo. A few months after President Sadat’s assassination in October 1981, the Empress and her family left Egypt. President Ronald Reagan informed the Empress that she was welcome in the United States.^[22]

She first settled in Williamstown, Massachusetts but later bought a home in Greenwich, Connecticut. After the death of her daughter Princess Leila in 2001, she purchased a smaller home in Potomac, Maryland, near Washington, D.C., to be closer to her son and grandchildren. Empress Farah now divides her time between Washington D.C and Paris. She also makes an annual July pilgrimage to the late Shah's mausoleum at Cairo's al-Rifa'i Mosque.

The Empress supports charities, including the Annual Alzheimer Gala IFRAD (International Fund Raising for Alzheimer Disease) held in Paris.^[23]

She was featured in a Swedish documentary made by Swedish-Iranian film director Nahid Persson Sarvestani titled The Queen and I in 2008.

The Empress continues to appear at certain international royal events, such as the 2004 wedding of Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, and the 2010 wedding of Prince Nikolaos of Greece.

Grandchildren[link]

The Empress currently has three grandchildren (granddaughters) through her son Reza and his wife Yasmine.

• Noor (3 April 1992)
• Iman (12 September 1993)
• Farah (17 January 2004)

The Empress also has one granddaughter through her late son Alireza Pahlavi and his companion Raha Didevar.^[24]

• Iryana Leila (26 July 2011)

Memoir[link]

In 2003, Farah Pahlavi wrote a book about her marriage to the Shah entitled An Enduring Love: My Life with the Shah. The publication of the former Empress's memoirs attracted international interest. It was a best-seller in Europe, with excerpts appearing in news magazines and the author appearing on talk shows and in other media outlets. However, opinion about the book, which Publishers Weekly called "a candid, straightforward account" and the Washington Post called "engrossing", was mixed.^{[citation needed]}

The New York Times, Elaine Sciolino, the paper's Paris bureau chief, gave the book a less than flattering review, describing it as "well translated" but "full of anger and bitterness.".^[25] National Review's, Reza Bayegan, an Iranian writer, however praised the memoir as "abound[ing] with affection and sympathy for her countrymen."^[26]

Titles, styles and honours[link]

Imperial Standard

Styles of Empress Farah of Iran
Reference style	Her Imperial Majesty
Spoken style	Your Imperial Majesty
Alternative style	Ma'am

Titles and styles[link]

• Miss Farah Diba (1938–1959)
• Her Imperial Majesty The Queen of Iran (1959–1967)
• Her Imperial Majesty The Empress of Iran (1967–1979)
• Her Imperial Majesty Empress Farah of Iran (pretender, 1979–present)

Honours[link]

• Order of the Pleiades, 1st Class of Iran (1959)
• Member of the Order of the Seraphim of Sweden (1960)
• Knight of the Order of the Elephant of Denmark (1963)
• Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion (1963)
• Grand Cross of the Legion d'Honneur of France (1963)
• Grand Cross of the Order of the Queen of Sheba of Ethiopia (1964)
• Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold of Belgium (1964)
• Grand Cross of the Order of St Olav of Norway (1965)
• Grand Cordon of the Order of Independence of Tunisia (1965)
• Grand Collar of the Order of the Southern Cross of Brazil (1965)
• Grand Cross of the Order of the Liberator General San Martin of Argentina (1965)
• Order of the Yugoslav Star, 1st Class of Yugoslavia (1966)
• Grand Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria in Gold with Sash (1966)
• Special Class of the Bundesverdienstkreuz of West Germany (1967)
• Order of Aryamehr, 1st Class of Iran (1967)
• Order of the Crown of the Realm (DMN, 1968)
• Grand Cordon (1st Class) of the Order of the Precious Crown of Japan (1968)
• Knight of the Order of the Royal House of Chakri of Thailand (1968)
• Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Italy (1974)
• Grand Cross of the Order of Isabel the Catholic of Spain (1975)

Gallery[link]

• 

  Farah Pahlavi with sash and insignia of Order of Aryamehr^[27]

• 

  Farah Pahlavi visiting Bandar Abbas.

• 

  Farah Pahlavi and Charles de Gaulle

• 

  Farah Pahlavi and schoolgirls in Jiroft.

• 

  Farah Pahlavi among nurses in Kermanshah.

• 

  Farah Pahlavi and Frank Sinatra, Tehran, 1975

• 

  Farah Pahlavi and Mohammadreza Pahlavi with Leonid Brezhnev

• 

  Farah Pahlavi and Mohammadreza Pahlavi with Hua Guofeng

• 

  Farah Pahlavi visiting an orphanage in Kerman

• 

  Farah Pahlavi visiting Sistan va Baluchestan

• 

  Farah Pahlavi visiting lepers in Behkadeh Raji

• 

  Farah Pahlavi visiting Mahabad

• 

  Farah Pahlavi visiting Lahijan

• 

  Farah Pahlavi in Luri costume in Lorestan

See also[link]

	Iran portal
	Biography portal

• Yasmine Pahlavi
• Princess Fawzia Fuad of Egypt
• Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiari
• Iranian women
• Iranian Crown Jewels

References[link]

External links[link]

• Farah Pahlavi's official website
• Biography Portal Shahbanu Farah Pahlavi (Persian)
• Farah Pahlavi, Iran's Ex-Empress, Receives the Anne Morrow Lindbergh Grace and Distinction Award 2005
• Shahram Razavi's online photo album "Imperial Iran of the Pahlavi Dynasty"
• A web site dedicated to Reza Shah Kabir (the great) including video clip and photos

Princess Farahnaz Princess of Iran Coronation of the Shah of Iran in 1967. Princess Farahnaz (third from left). Full name English: Farahnaz Persian: فرحناز‎ House House of Pahlavi Father Mohammad Reza Pahlavi Mother Farah Diba Born (1963-03-12) 12 March 1963 (age 49)

Iranian Imperial Family HIH The Crown Prince HIH The Crown Princess HIH Princess Noor HIH Princess Iman HIH Princess Farah HIM Empress Farah HIH Princess Shahnaz HIH Princess Farahnaz HIH Prince Ali-Reza† HIH Princess Iryana Extended imperial family HIH Princess Ashraf HIH Prince Ali Patrick HIH Princess Sonja HIH Prince Davoud HIH Princess Solvène HIH Prince Houd HIH Prince Yunes HIH Princess Iryana Leila HIH Prince Gholam Reza HIH Princess Manizheh HIH Prince Bahman HIH Princess Shohreh HIH Princess Nazbanoo HIH Princess Maryam HIH Princess Azardokht HIH Prince Bahram HIH Prince Kamyar HIH Princess Sarvnaz HIH Prince Shahrukh HIH Princess Shahlah HIH Prince Shahin HIH Prince Iskander HIH Prince Zachary HIH Prince Gregory HIH Princess Zara HIH Princess Shahrnaz HIH Princess Parinaz HIH Princess Niloufar HIH Princess Nazak HIH Prince Ja'afar v t e

Princess Farahnaz Pahlavi (born March 12, 1963) is the eldest daughter of the late Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran by his third wife, Empress Farah Diba.

She was born Princess Farahnaz Pahlavi, as per official dynastic usage, with the style Her Imperial Highness. She resides in New York City.

Education[link]

She studied at the Niavaran Special School in Tehran, the Ethel Walker School in Simsbury, Connecticut, United States, and the Cairo American College in Cairo, Egypt. From 1981 to 1982, she attended Bennington College in Bennington, Vermont. She received a Bachelor of Arts in social work from Columbia University in 1986 and a Master's degree in child psychology from the same university in 1990.[1]

According to a 2004 article in The Los Angeles Times, she reportedly attempted to find employment at international aid agencies such as UNICEF, but, according to her mother, was rejected because of her name.

Trivia[link]

• In August 2000, Farahnaz's picture was broadcast on the stadium screen during a concert by the Iranian singer Googoosh at Madison Square Garden in New York City. When the performance was over, the exiled royal was interviewed by a New York Times reporter.

• At her father's coronation in 1967, Farahnaz, then four years old, wore a diamond tiara made for the occasion by Van Cleef & Arpels.^{[citation needed]}

References[link]

• Bruges, Jean-Jacques de, "Shahbanou Farah", Point de Vue, 31 August-6 September 2005, Issue 2980
• "Shah's Daughter Could Not Stand Exile," BBC News, 12 June 2001 [2]
• "Victory of Light Over Darkness is Near in Iran", Iran Press Service, 27 July 2001 [3]
• Bahrampour, Tara, "Singer Revives Memories of Lost Youth and Lost Country", The New York Times, 28 August 2000
• Krebs, Albin and Robert McG. Thomas, "Notes on People: Pahlevis [sic] Inquire About New England School", The New York Times, 16 November 1981, page B5
• Krebs, Albin and Robert McG. Thomas, "Notes on People: A Daughter of Shah Auditing College Classes", The New York Times, 28 November 1981, page 39
• "Princesse Farahnaz: Les 20 Ans", Point de Vue, March 1983
• Marcisz, Christopher, "Son of Shah Advocates Democracy for Iran", Berkshire Eagle, 21 April 2004
• O'Connor, Anne-Marie, "Style & Substance: A Widow's Look at a Shah's Legacy", The Los Angeles Times, 10 March 2004, page E1
• Cunningham, Bill, "Spring Sightings", The New York Times, 28 March 2004, page 9
• Beaumont, Peter, "Water Resource Development in Iran", The Geographic Journal, Vol. 140, No. 3 (October 1974), pages 418-431

Styles of Princess Farahnaz of Iran Reference style Her Imperial Highness Spoken style Your Imperial Highness Alternative style Ma'am

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Charlie Rose
Rose in May 2010
Born	Charles Peete Rose, Jr. (1942-01-05) January 5, 1942 (age 70) Henderson, North Carolina, U.S.
Education	Duke University B.A. (1964) Duke University J.D. (1968)
Occupation	Talk show host Journalist
Years active	1972–present
Notable credit(s)	Charlie Rose, 60 Minutes II, 60 Minutes, CBS News Nightwatch, CBS This Morning
Website
http://www.charlierose.com/

Charles Peete "Charlie" Rose, Jr. (born January 5, 1942)^[1] is an American television talk show host and journalist. Since 1991 he has hosted Charlie Rose, an interview show distributed nationally by PBS since 1993. He has also co-anchored CBS This Morning since January 2012. Rose, along with Lara Logan, has hosted the revived CBS classic Person to Person, a news program during which celebrities are interviewed in their homes, originally hosted from 1953 to 1961 by Edward R. Murrow.^[2]

Early life[link]

Rose was born in Henderson, North Carolina, the only child^[3] of Margaret Frazier and Charles Peete Rose, Sr., tobacco farmers who owned a country store.^[4][5] As a child, Rose lived above his parents' store in Henderson and helped out with the family business from age seven.^[6] Rose admitted in a Fresh Dialogues interview that as a child his insatiable curiosity was constantly getting him in trouble.^[7] A high school basketball star, Rose entered Duke University intending to pursue a degree with a pre-med track, but an internship in the office of Democratic North Carolina Senator B. Everett Jordan got him interested in politics.^[8] Rose graduated in 1964 with a bachelor's degree in history. At Duke, he was a member of the Kappa Alpha Order fraternity. He earned a Juris Doctor from the Duke University School of Law in 1968.^[6] He met his wife, Mary (née King), while attending Duke.^[3][4]

Career[link]

After his wife was hired by the BBC (in New York), Rose handled some assignments for the BBC on a freelance basis. In 1972, while continuing to work at Bankers Trust, he landed a job as a weekend reporter for WPIX-TV. His break came in 1974, after Bill Moyers hired Rose as managing editor for the PBS series Bill Moyers' International Report. In 1975, Moyers named Rose executive producer of Bill Moyers Journal. Rose soon began appearing on camera. "A Conversation with Jimmy Carter," one installment of Moyers's series U.S.A.: People and Politics, won a 1976 Peabody Award. Rose worked at several networks honing his interview skills until KXAS-TV in Dallas-Fort Worth hired him as program manager and gave him the late-night time slot that would become the Charlie Rose show.

Rose worked for CBS News (1984–1990) as the anchor of CBS News Nightwatch, the network's first late-night news broadcast. The Nightwatch broadcast of Rose's interview with Charles Manson won an Emmy Award in 1987.^[4] In 1990, Rose left CBS to serve as anchor of Personalities, a syndicated program produced by Fox Broadcasting Company, but he got out of his contract after six weeks because of the tabloid-style content of the show. Charlie Rose premiered on PBS station Thirteen/WNET on September 30, 1991, and has been nationally syndicated since January 1993. In 1994, Rose moved the show to a studio owned by Bloomberg Television, which allowed for improved satellite interviewing.^[9]

Rose was a correspondent for 60 Minutes II^[10] from its inception in January 1999 until its cancellation in September 2005, and was later named a correspondent on 60 Minutes.^[11]

Rose was a member of the board of directors of Citadel Broadcasting Corporation from 2003 to 2009.^[3] In May 2010, Charlie Rose delivered the commencement address at North Carolina State University.

On November 15, 2011, it was announced that Rose would return to CBS to help anchor CBS This Morning, replacing The Early Show, commencing January 9, 2012, along with co-anchors Erica Hill and Gayle King.

Cameo appearances[link]

Rose has appeared as himself in the 1998 film Primary Colors,^[12] in a 2000 episode of The Simpsons^[13] and in the 2008 movie Elegy.^[14] He and his show were also used in the Wes Anderson film The Royal Tenenbaums. He also appears as himself in the 2011 George Clooney directed film, The Ides of March.

[edit] Accusations of conflict of interest

While hosting the 2002 Coca-Cola Company shareholders' meeting, Rose said "few companies are able to connect as completely with consumers in the way that Coca-Cola is. It is a privilege to be associated with [The Coca-Cola family] ... This is the business of Coca-Cola: being part of a family, being worldwide, doing well and doing good at the same time."^[15] Afterward, Coca-Cola agreed to become what Rose called "a leading underwriter" of The Charlie Rose Show, paying "six or possibly seven figures."^[16] Even the Charlie Rose mugs used on his PBS show feature a Coca-Cola logo on one side.^[17][18] Although CBS News policy bars correspondents from doing commercials and product endorsements, the Washington Post reported CBS was "comfortable" with Rose's actions. Rose insists he "would never do a story on 60 Minutes II about anybody who underwrites my PBS show."^[16]

[edit] Quiet influence

The New York Times reported that Rose encouraged a discussion between the leaders of NBC and Fox, that led eventually to a mutual reduction in ad hominem attacks between Keith Olbermann and Bill O'Reilly on their respective news programs.^[19]

Rose has attended several Bilderberg Group conference meetings, including meetings held in the United States in 2008;^[20] Spain in 2010;^[21] and Switzerland in 2011.^[22] These unofficial conferences hold guests from North America and Western Europe, most of whom are political leaders and businessmen. Details of meetings are closed off to the public and strictly invitation-only, and critics^[who?] speculate the controversial nature of these meetings of highly influential people. Accusations from conspiracy theorists against The Charlie Rose show claim that it has become the US media outlet for Bilderberg.^{[23][unreliable source?]}

Personal life[link]

Rose's twelve-year marriage to Mary Rose (née King) ended in divorce in 1980. Mary is the sister-in-law of Morgan Stanley Chairman John J. Mack. Since 1993, his companion has been socialite and chairman of the New York City Planning Commission and director of the city department of planning Amanda Burden, a stepdaughter of CBS founder William S. Paley.^[24]

On March 29, 2006, after experiencing shortness of breath in Syria, Rose was flown to Paris and underwent surgery for mitral valve repair in the Georges-Pompidou European Hospital. His surgery was performed under the supervision of Alain F. Carpentier, a pioneer of the procedure.^[25] Rose returned to the air on June 12, 2006, with Bill Moyers and Yvette Vega (the show's executive producer), to discuss his surgery and recuperation.

In a 2009 Fresh Dialogues interview, Rose described his life as "great and glorious."^[7] He added, '"I get up every morning with a new adventure. The adventure is fueled by interesting people. I get a chance to control my own destiny. I do something that is immediately either appreciated or not. I get feedback."

Rose owns a 575-acre (2.33 km²) farm in Oxford, North Carolina, an apartment overlooking Central Park in New York City, a beach house in Bellport, New York, an apartment in Washington D.C.^[3] and an apartment in Paris, France.

References[link]