Farouk of Egypt
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King Farouk I of Egypt (Arabic: فاروق الأول Fārūq al-Awwal) (February 11, 1920 – March 18, 1965) was the last ruling King of Egypt, succeeding his father, Fuad I, in 1936. His sister Fawzia was Queen of Iran for a brief period. His full title was "H.M. Farouk I, by the grace of God, King of Egypt and of Sudan, Sovereign of Nubia, of Kordofan and of Darfur".
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[edit] Reign
An Egyptian citizen of mostly Albanian, Circassian, and French descent, Farouk of Egypt was a member of the Muhammad Ali dynasty, a family of Albanian origin which came to prominence in Egypt under the Ottoman Empire.
Before his father's death, he was educated at the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich. Upon his coronation, the 16 year-old king Farouk made a public radio address to the nation, the first time a King of Egypt had ever spoken directly to his people. His father Fuad I did not speak any Arabic, and spoke Turkish in his court. Therefore he relied on representatives to make his wishes known to his subjects in their native language.
Therefore, perhaps he selected Ahmed Pasha Hassanein to become Farouk's tutor. The address that seems to have been written by Hassanein for the new young King in his coronation celebration (تتويج) was unquestionably a success:
| “ | And if it is Allah's will to lay on my shoulders at such an early
age the responsibility of kingship, I on my part appreciate the duties that will be mine, and I am prepared for all sacrifices in the cause of my duty... My noble people, I am proud of you and your loyalty and am confident in the future as I am in Allah. Let us work together. We shall succeed and be happy. Long live the fatherland! |
” |
The teenage monarch was enamored of the glamorous royal lifestyle. Although he already had thousands of acres of land, dozens of palaces and hundreds of cars, the king never seemed satisfied with his wealth. He would often travel to Europe for grand shopping sprees.
During the hardships of World War II, criticism was leveled at Farouk for his lavish lifestyle. His decision to keep all the lights burning at his palace in Alexandria, during a time when the city was blacked-out due to Italian bombing, was deemed particularly offensive by some. The royal Italian servants of Farouk were not interned, and there is an unconfirmed story that Farouk told British Ambassador Sir Miles Lampson (who had an Italian wife), "I'll get rid of my Italians, when you get rid of yours."
As he got older, the king began pilfering objects and artifacts while on state visits abroad, including a ceremonial sword from the Shah of Iran and a pocket watch from Winston Churchill. Common people were also often the victims of the kleptomaniacal monarch, and by mingling with commoners Farouk soon became a highly-skilled pickpocket. He got a nickname from his own citizens "The Thief of Cairo" to signify his well-known aptitude for thievery, as well as his lavish lifestyle and corrupt regime.
The King's alleged corruption in Egypt and defeat during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, led to a military coup on July 23, 1952, directed by Gamal Abdel Nasser, who forced Farouk to abdicate and exiled him to Italy and Monaco, where the former king lived the rest of his life. Immediately following Farouk's abdication the monarch's baby son, Fuad II, was proclaimed king, but for all intents and purposes the monarchy had been de facto abolished. In 1953 it was formally abolished and a republic was declared.
The new regime quickly moved to auction off the King's vast collection of trinkets and treasures. Among the more famous of his possessions was one of the rare 1933 Double Eagle coins, though the coin disappeared before it could be returned to the United States.
The blue-eyed Farouk was thin early in his reign, but had always struggled with his weight throughout his life. His taste for fine cuisine made him dangerously obese, weighing nearly 300 pounds (136 kg) – an acquaintance described him as "a stomach with a head". He died in Rome, Italy on March 3, 1965. He collapsed and died at the dinner table following a characteristically heavy meal.
[edit] Affairs and marriages
In addition to an affair with the British writer and siren Barbara Skelton, among numerous others, the king was married twice, with a claim of a third marriage (see below). His first wife was Safinaz Zulficar (1921–1988), a pasha's daughter who was renamed Farida upon her marriage; they married in 1938, divorced in 1948, and had three daughters.
His second was a commoner, Nariman Sadeq (1934–2005); they married in 1951 and divorced in 1954; they had one son, Ahmed Fuad, also known as Fuad II.
In 1952 after being exiled, he went to Italy. There he met Irma Capece Minutolo, an opera singer, who became his companion. In 2005, she claimed that she married the king in 1957.[1]
[edit] Trivia
The actor David Suchet modelled his mustache for detective Hercule Poirot on King Farouk's.
[edit] Marriages
1. Farida (Safinaz Zulficar) (1921-1988)
Children
2. Nariman Sadek (1934-2005)
Children
3. Marriage claimed: Irma Capece Minutolo di Canosa (born 1935 or 1936)
[edit] See also
[edit] Endnotes
[edit] Reference
- McLeave, Hugh The Last Pharaoh : Farouk of Egypt, New York : McCall Pub. Co., 1970, 1969 ISBN 0841500207.
- New King, Old Trouble, Time Magazine, Monday, May 11, 1936.
- Stadiem William Too Rich: The High Life and Tragic Death of King Farouk, New York: Carroll & Graf Pub, 1991 ISBN 0881846295
| Muhammad 'Ali Dynasty Born: 11 February 1920 Died: 18 March 1965 |
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| Preceded by Fuad I |
King of Egypt 1936–1952 |
Succeeded by Fuad II |
