WEBVTT - "The Princess with the Sad Eyes" 0:00:00.280 --> 0:00:04.680 Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of iHeartRadio and Grimm 0:00:04.680 --> 0:00:16.079 and Mild from Aaron Manky. Listener discretion advised. Sria s 0:00:16.160 --> 0:00:20.360 Fundari Baktyari was the last passenger on the plane from 0:00:20.440 --> 0:00:26.600 Rome to disembark. It was October seventh, nineteen fifty and 0:00:26.640 --> 0:00:30.520 the sun was just beginning to set behind the western 0:00:30.640 --> 0:00:36.400 skyline of Tehran. As soon as Soria's feet hit the tarmac, 0:00:36.880 --> 0:00:41.640 she was quickly ushered into a waiting limousine. Soria and 0:00:41.720 --> 0:00:44.720 her father drove through the city to the house that 0:00:44.800 --> 0:00:47.800 they would be staying at for the duration of their 0:00:47.880 --> 0:00:52.640 trip to Iran's capital. Sria gazed out the window and 0:00:52.960 --> 0:00:56.560 tried to imagine what her next day would look like. 0:00:57.440 --> 0:01:01.360 Despite the fatigue she felt from the long travel day, 0:01:01.840 --> 0:01:05.759 she was too excited about being presented to the Iranian 0:01:05.880 --> 0:01:10.360 court and the Sha to quiet her mind. Just a 0:01:10.400 --> 0:01:14.560 few months ago, she was a normal German Iranian girl 0:01:14.800 --> 0:01:19.360 who had just graduated from finishing school. Now she was 0:01:19.400 --> 0:01:23.960 a contender to be the Shah's wife, the Empress of Iran. 0:01:25.200 --> 0:01:29.200 Once at the house, Sria began to unpack her trunks. 0:01:29.840 --> 0:01:33.600 As she put her clothes away, she admired the dresses 0:01:33.640 --> 0:01:37.000 that she had bought in Paris. Which one should she 0:01:37.120 --> 0:01:41.000 wear tomorrow to be presented to the court. Maybe the 0:01:41.000 --> 0:01:45.000 blue one, but with what shoes? Oh? Certainly the white 0:01:45.240 --> 0:01:50.400 kitten heels, very classy. But would the Sha like this outfit? 0:01:51.360 --> 0:01:55.280 Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the bedroom door. 0:01:55.960 --> 0:01:59.640 Soriah opened the door to a servant delivering a message. 0:02:00.320 --> 0:02:04.280 Would it be possible for miss Esfandiari to visit the 0:02:04.360 --> 0:02:09.040 Dowager Empress this evening? She has arranged a small dinner 0:02:09.200 --> 0:02:13.720 at which only the innermost family will be present. With 0:02:13.880 --> 0:02:18.239 that generous invitation, which was more of a summons really 0:02:18.320 --> 0:02:22.600 than an invite, Sriah quickly got ready and left for 0:02:22.680 --> 0:02:28.320 the Dowager Empress's residence. Once there, soria was welcomed into 0:02:28.360 --> 0:02:32.720 the Dowager Empress's drawing room, where the Dowager and the 0:02:32.720 --> 0:02:38.280 Shah's siblings greeted their guests with pleasantries and polite conversation, 0:02:39.080 --> 0:02:42.640 But the room fell silent when it was announced His 0:02:42.880 --> 0:02:47.519 Majesty the Shah, the man who had summoned Soriya all 0:02:47.520 --> 0:02:53.520 the way from London, strode into the room. Confidently Mohammed Razashah, 0:02:53.919 --> 0:02:57.520 dressed in his favorite uniform of the General of the 0:02:57.560 --> 0:03:02.000 Iranian Air Force went around the room, greeting his mother 0:03:02.240 --> 0:03:08.240 and his siblings. In her second autobiography, Soriah recalled quote, 0:03:08.639 --> 0:03:15.080 I found him imposing, magnificent, splendid. I was mesmerized. He 0:03:15.320 --> 0:03:19.400 was superb looking, he was handsome and knew how to smile. 0:03:20.080 --> 0:03:23.680 I freely admit that it was love at first sight. 0:03:25.040 --> 0:03:28.320 With the ultimate guest of honor now in attendance, the 0:03:28.360 --> 0:03:32.800 party moved into the dining room. Breaking protocol, the Shah 0:03:32.960 --> 0:03:37.360 beckoned Soriah to sit next to him. Despite their over 0:03:37.520 --> 0:03:41.040 fifteen year age difference, there was an ease to their 0:03:41.080 --> 0:03:45.920 conversation as the pair chatted about their childhoods, both spent 0:03:46.040 --> 0:03:51.160 at boarding schools in Switzerland. Soria later recalled that quote, 0:03:51.480 --> 0:03:54.800 without our having said anything of importance to each other, 0:03:55.280 --> 0:04:00.000 a confidence and tenderness had passed between us. There was 0:04:00.040 --> 0:04:06.320 as certainly an unspoken connection between the two. Following after dinner, 0:04:06.400 --> 0:04:10.200 games and tea, Soriah was finally able to retire to 0:04:10.320 --> 0:04:13.960 her lodgings. She longed just to close her eyes and 0:04:14.160 --> 0:04:18.920 finally lay down after an extremely long day, but at 0:04:18.960 --> 0:04:24.000 almost midnight the door bell rang. Soriah saw her father 0:04:24.320 --> 0:04:29.559 looking rather frazzled. Soria the Shah liked you very much. 0:04:29.920 --> 0:04:34.400 Are you willing to marry him? Astonished Siriah asked, do 0:04:34.480 --> 0:04:38.440 I have to decide now? Her father affirmed yes, he 0:04:38.480 --> 0:04:43.560 would like to announce your engagement tomorrow. Surprising even herself, 0:04:43.839 --> 0:04:48.080 Soriah quickly replied, tell the Shaw that I accept, I 0:04:48.240 --> 0:04:53.440 will be his wife. The love between soria and the Sha, 0:04:53.960 --> 0:04:58.880 the love that first ignited that October night in nineteen fifty, 0:04:59.480 --> 0:05:05.040 was and blossomed quickly into a marriage and partnership. Their 0:05:05.160 --> 0:05:08.479 romance was like something out of a fairy tale. It 0:05:08.560 --> 0:05:13.080 seemed as though they were destined to be together. Unfortunately, 0:05:13.160 --> 0:05:17.640 the almost divine nature of their love could not overcome 0:05:17.800 --> 0:05:22.440 the harsh reality they would face during their marriage. No 0:05:22.480 --> 0:05:26.960 matter how idyllic their life together seemed, there was always 0:05:27.000 --> 0:05:31.440 something laying in weight that, once revealed, would send it 0:05:31.480 --> 0:05:35.839 all toppling down. In fact, this would be a theme 0:05:36.080 --> 0:05:41.000 of Soriah's life. No matter what happiness she seemed to achieve, 0:05:41.720 --> 0:05:45.280 it would all vanish in a matter of time. Her 0:05:45.400 --> 0:05:50.680 unfortunate turns of fate would be perfectly encompassed by her 0:05:50.800 --> 0:05:56.320 nickname and the title of her second autobiography, Princess with 0:05:56.440 --> 0:06:00.359 the Sad Eyes, was the nickname entrapped in her her 0:06:00.880 --> 0:06:07.640 Palace of Loneliness. I'm Danash Schwartz, and this is Noble Blood. 0:06:12.839 --> 0:06:14.919 Before I dive in, I want to mention that for 0:06:15.120 --> 0:06:19.640 today's episode, I relied on an uncommon collection of sources. 0:06:20.279 --> 0:06:25.920 Soriah wrote two separate autobiographies, one in nineteen sixty four 0:06:26.040 --> 0:06:30.760 and one Palace of Loneliness in nineteen ninety two, both 0:06:30.760 --> 0:06:34.760 of which spoke of her experiences married to the Shah, 0:06:34.800 --> 0:06:38.359 but through the lens of very different periods in her life. 0:06:38.800 --> 0:06:42.400 To have one autobiography to use as a Noble Blood 0:06:42.440 --> 0:06:46.160 source is unusual, but not terribly out of the ordinary. 0:06:46.520 --> 0:06:50.200 To have two is incredibly rare. So much of what 0:06:50.320 --> 0:06:54.240 I talk about today comes from Soriah herself, so be 0:06:54.440 --> 0:06:59.160 mindful of any potential biases that obviously come with one's 0:06:59.240 --> 0:07:03.480 telling of this her own story. From the moment she 0:07:03.560 --> 0:07:07.200 was born in the summer of nineteen thirty two, soria 0:07:07.520 --> 0:07:13.000 Esfundari Bakhtiari seemed poised to lead an exceptional life. Child 0:07:13.160 --> 0:07:17.320 of a German mother and Iranian father, Sarria grew up 0:07:17.400 --> 0:07:22.119 with a dual identity shared by very few. Sarria's father 0:07:22.360 --> 0:07:26.960 was a prominent member of the Baktyari tribe of southern Iran, 0:07:27.520 --> 0:07:31.400 so her family spent many years living in her ancestral 0:07:31.520 --> 0:07:37.160 homelands of Isfan. In her tween and teenage years, Sria's 0:07:37.160 --> 0:07:41.200 family moved to her mother's homeland of Germany, and Sara 0:07:41.320 --> 0:07:45.360 herself spent many of her most formative years at boarding 0:07:45.440 --> 0:07:49.960 schools in Switzerland. The duality of her heritage and her 0:07:50.040 --> 0:07:54.880 upbringing was difficult for the young Saraya, as she struggled 0:07:54.880 --> 0:07:59.120 to identify with either aspect of herself, and while she 0:07:59.280 --> 0:08:04.800 certainly identified with her Iranian heritage, she did harbor Eurocentric 0:08:04.880 --> 0:08:09.960 tendencies and frankly racist views about Iran. As empress, she 0:08:10.000 --> 0:08:14.240 would later write quote, the feeling of being both Christian 0:08:14.320 --> 0:08:17.320 and Muslim, but at the same time of being neither 0:08:17.440 --> 0:08:21.360 one nor the other has engraved in my flesh two 0:08:21.400 --> 0:08:26.600 divergent poles between which my existence unfolded. The one is 0:08:26.840 --> 0:08:33.720 methodically European, the other savagely Persian. Ironic that Siah would 0:08:33.760 --> 0:08:40.280 become the Empress of Persia. Soria was an undoubtedly gorgeous woman. 0:08:40.880 --> 0:08:45.240 Her piercing light blue gray eyes were striking against her 0:08:45.360 --> 0:08:50.240 dark black hair and fair skin. Imagine young Sophia Iren 0:08:50.360 --> 0:08:55.679 and young Elizabeth Taylor combined and you get Soria. So 0:08:55.760 --> 0:08:59.119 it was no wonder that she received many a marriage proposal, 0:08:59.360 --> 0:09:04.880 especially from men from prominent families in Isfan, but her 0:09:04.920 --> 0:09:10.800 parents themselves an unusual love match, protected her from those proposals. 0:09:11.400 --> 0:09:15.200 At this point, Sarah had just completed finishing school in 0:09:15.240 --> 0:09:20.800 Switzerland and desperately wished to become an actress, but her parents, 0:09:21.440 --> 0:09:25.079 like many, chafed at the idea of their daughter becoming 0:09:25.120 --> 0:09:29.760 an artist. As a compromised, sixteen year old Sarah set 0:09:29.800 --> 0:09:32.960 off for London, where she would stay with her cousins 0:09:33.280 --> 0:09:36.880 to better improve her English. It would be these cousins 0:09:36.960 --> 0:09:41.760 in London who would change the trajectory of Soria's life forever. 0:09:43.240 --> 0:09:48.120 One of these cousins, named Guidars, was obsessed with photography 0:09:48.480 --> 0:09:52.520 and asked to take Sarria's picture one afternoon. He had 0:09:52.559 --> 0:09:55.720 Sarah pose all over their flat in front of their 0:09:55.760 --> 0:09:59.840 apartment building in a nearby park, really all over the place. 0:10:00.480 --> 0:10:05.160 A little suspicious, Sarah asked, what's going on, Gwidars. Usually 0:10:05.200 --> 0:10:09.640 you don't waste so much film? Gudars, deciding to tell 0:10:09.679 --> 0:10:13.240 a half truth, replied that their aunt in Tehran had 0:10:13.280 --> 0:10:17.720 asked for some new pictures of Soria. Who that woman was. 0:10:18.040 --> 0:10:21.160 Saya had no idea, but who is she to say 0:10:21.200 --> 0:10:23.679 no to getting to act like a model with her 0:10:23.720 --> 0:10:29.800 cousin For an afternoon. Later that week, her other cousin, Malikshah, 0:10:29.880 --> 0:10:32.520 asked her to accompany him to a dinner at the 0:10:32.559 --> 0:10:36.840 Iranian embassy there in London in honor of the Shah's sister, 0:10:37.120 --> 0:10:42.079 Princess Shams. Of course, Sarriyah would go, and, no surprise 0:10:42.240 --> 0:10:46.959 to the self important Saraya, Princess Shams took an immediate 0:10:47.120 --> 0:10:51.040 liking to her. At dinner, they chatted all night, and 0:10:51.160 --> 0:10:55.559 before Sarriah took her leave, Princess Shams squeezed her hand 0:10:55.640 --> 0:10:58.240 and asked, do you want to come with me tomorrow 0:10:58.320 --> 0:11:01.840 evening to the theater. From that night on, the two 0:11:01.880 --> 0:11:05.959 women became inseparable. They went out on the town together, 0:11:06.080 --> 0:11:09.400 and Shams even brought Sarria along to Paris with her 0:11:09.800 --> 0:11:15.000 for a three week stay. Little did Sria know that 0:11:15.080 --> 0:11:19.680 the Princess Shams had actually been dispatched to London by 0:11:19.760 --> 0:11:26.280 the Shah specifically to meet and vet Sria. The photos 0:11:26.360 --> 0:11:30.040 that Gwidars had taken were indeed for his aunt, but 0:11:30.200 --> 0:11:33.960 she had requested them so that she might show Sria 0:11:34.080 --> 0:11:38.680 to the Shah's mother, the Dowager Empress. The Dowager Empress, 0:11:38.800 --> 0:11:42.680 looking for a wife for the Shah, liked Soria's look 0:11:43.160 --> 0:11:47.280 and showed them to her son, Mohammed Rezashah had been 0:11:47.320 --> 0:11:51.439 divorced from his first wife for three years now, and 0:11:51.600 --> 0:11:56.320 despite having multiple mistresses, he had been lonely and was 0:11:56.360 --> 0:12:01.880 looking for his next wife. Intrigued by the pictures of Saya, 0:12:02.360 --> 0:12:06.320 he sent his younger sister to meet her. Although Shams 0:12:06.360 --> 0:12:10.120 had set out intentionally to evaluate whether or not the 0:12:10.200 --> 0:12:14.640 young woman was suitable marriage material for the Shah, she 0:12:14.760 --> 0:12:19.880 found herself genuinely enjoying Sarria and communicated her approval to 0:12:20.000 --> 0:12:25.840 her brother. Soon after arriving, Princess Shams officially floated the 0:12:25.880 --> 0:12:29.440 idea of marrying the Shah to Sarria. On their trip 0:12:29.480 --> 0:12:33.600 to Paris. While talking about her brother one afternoon, the 0:12:33.679 --> 0:12:37.120 princess casually said, of course, it would be fine if 0:12:37.120 --> 0:12:40.520 some young girls such as yourself were to be willing 0:12:40.600 --> 0:12:45.800 to share Mohammed Reza's life. While Sarria, having been told 0:12:46.040 --> 0:12:51.520 the true motivation behind her cousin's photographs, had inklings that 0:12:51.520 --> 0:12:56.480 that might be a possibility, Schams's comment made it all real. 0:12:57.440 --> 0:13:01.960 Shortly after that Paris trip, Rayah's father called to tell 0:13:02.000 --> 0:13:05.880 her that the Shah had requested that he presents Soria 0:13:06.080 --> 0:13:12.040 at court. Clearly, the Persian royal family was wasting no time. 0:13:13.880 --> 0:13:18.080 It was decided that Princess Shams, Sria, and Soria's father 0:13:18.480 --> 0:13:22.720 would depart for Iran promptly. After stopping over in Rome 0:13:22.840 --> 0:13:25.920 for a few days, where her father met them, Sarria 0:13:26.000 --> 0:13:29.960 and Princess Shams boarded their flight for Tehran early on 0:13:30.000 --> 0:13:35.480 October seventh, nineteen fifty. As soon as Sriah stepped off 0:13:35.520 --> 0:13:39.559 the plane, as told in the introduction of this episode, 0:13:39.840 --> 0:13:43.160 she was immediately swept up in the whirlwind of her 0:13:43.200 --> 0:13:48.559 new life in the Iranian court. Perhaps like most noble 0:13:48.760 --> 0:13:53.200 arranged marriages, Soria and the Shah used their engagement to 0:13:53.559 --> 0:13:56.280 get to know each other. They would go on picnic 0:13:56.400 --> 0:14:02.880 lunches together and steal private moments official functions. But unlike many, 0:14:03.520 --> 0:14:08.520 probably even most arranged royal couples, the two were genuinely 0:14:08.600 --> 0:14:12.679 quite enamored with each other. Their love was tested and 0:14:12.840 --> 0:14:17.840 ultimately proven when Soria fell ill with samonella poisoning just 0:14:17.920 --> 0:14:21.640 a few weeks before their wedding. The Shah visited his 0:14:21.800 --> 0:14:26.600 bedridden fiance every day, bringing her a gift with each trip. 0:14:27.240 --> 0:14:30.600 Sometimes the gift was just a bouquet of flowers or 0:14:30.680 --> 0:14:34.480 a gramophone record to entertain her, and sometimes it would 0:14:34.520 --> 0:14:38.239 be a stunning jewel or an exquisite piece of jewelry, 0:14:38.520 --> 0:14:43.040 like quote, a gold watch with a chiseled bird, set 0:14:43.080 --> 0:14:48.440 with rubies and emeralds. These gifts and the Shaw's consistent 0:14:48.720 --> 0:14:54.359 visits represented for Soria the depth of her future husband's dedication, 0:14:55.080 --> 0:14:58.120 and it endeared him to her more and more with 0:14:58.240 --> 0:15:04.480 each day. Fortunately, Soria's illness was proving persistent, and their 0:15:04.560 --> 0:15:09.080 original wedding day came and went with the future Empress 0:15:09.320 --> 0:15:13.360 still unwell. The Shah, hoping to get married as soon 0:15:13.440 --> 0:15:17.920 as possible, sent the nation's best doctors and nurses to 0:15:18.000 --> 0:15:23.680 his betrothed bedside. In January nineteen fifty one, after multiple 0:15:23.800 --> 0:15:28.120 months of bedterist for Soria, the doctors determined that the 0:15:28.280 --> 0:15:31.360 soon to be Empress was well enough to walk down 0:15:31.360 --> 0:15:36.480 the aisle and withstand the demanding ceremonies of a royal wedding. 0:15:37.360 --> 0:15:41.840 So on February twelfth, nineteen fifty one, Soria and the 0:15:41.920 --> 0:15:46.440 Shah were married. That morning, Sria donned her wedding dress, 0:15:46.800 --> 0:15:50.600 which weighed half of Soria's body weight thanks to the 0:15:50.760 --> 0:15:54.560 ten foot long train and a necklace and a diadem 0:15:54.840 --> 0:15:59.880 borrowed from Iran's collection of crown jewels. Doing her best 0:16:00.160 --> 0:16:05.000 to appear regal, the bride glided down a hallway decorated 0:16:05.040 --> 0:16:09.560 with orchids, cherry trees, and lilacs to join her fiance 0:16:09.800 --> 0:16:13.800 for the ceremony. When the officiating a mom asked the 0:16:13.880 --> 0:16:17.040 couple if they would like to take the other in marriage, 0:16:17.320 --> 0:16:21.320 Soriah could barely wait. Yes, she proclaimed, jumping in so 0:16:21.520 --> 0:16:25.560 fast as to almost speak over him. Yes. With the 0:16:25.600 --> 0:16:30.880 Shaw's firm but delighted confirmation, the lovebirds were officially wed, 0:16:31.320 --> 0:16:37.080 and the rest of their life together could begin. Soria 0:16:37.200 --> 0:16:42.160 and the Shaw's courtship and wedding had been almost storybook perfect, 0:16:42.800 --> 0:16:46.560 but the air of perfection and atmosphere of love had 0:16:46.680 --> 0:16:51.960 obscured for Soria the tense political landscape that was developing 0:16:52.000 --> 0:16:56.360 in Iran at that very moment, as briefly discussed in 0:16:56.480 --> 0:17:00.280 our earlier episode entitled The Dinner Party. At the end 0:17:00.360 --> 0:17:05.360 of the Iranian monarchy, oil was a precious resource for Iran, 0:17:05.720 --> 0:17:09.280 worth quite a bit of money, but from its discovery 0:17:09.320 --> 0:17:12.880 in the country up through the nineteen forties, the Anglo 0:17:12.960 --> 0:17:17.240 Iranian Oil Company essentially had a monopoly on the oil 0:17:17.280 --> 0:17:21.560 in the country. Because of how profitable oil was, many 0:17:21.600 --> 0:17:25.640 Iranians were upset that the British and not they were 0:17:25.680 --> 0:17:31.640 benefiting from their country's natural resource. The popular figurehead leading 0:17:31.720 --> 0:17:35.280 this movement to keep those profits in Iran and to 0:17:35.480 --> 0:17:41.840 nationalize Iran's oil was then parliament member Mohammed Mosdae, who 0:17:41.960 --> 0:17:46.639 also wanted to bring democracy to Iran. Masada's push for 0:17:46.840 --> 0:17:51.560 democracy threatened the Shah's grip on the country, as did 0:17:51.600 --> 0:17:57.120 the communist Tuda Party and the extremist Shia sects pushing 0:17:57.200 --> 0:18:00.400 for a theocracy, and the Shah did and to have 0:18:00.440 --> 0:18:03.879 the strongest argument for his own rule at that moment. 0:18:04.040 --> 0:18:08.000 In the late nineteen forties early nineteen fifties, as the 0:18:08.040 --> 0:18:13.639 country was facing an economic downturn because of the let's 0:18:13.640 --> 0:18:18.320 say uncertain political situation at home, Soraya and the Shah 0:18:18.480 --> 0:18:23.160 had to forego their European honeymoon, spending only two weeks 0:18:23.200 --> 0:18:25.960 at one of the Shah's villas north of Tehran on 0:18:26.040 --> 0:18:30.800 the Caspian Sea. Even then, the Shah was receiving memos 0:18:30.800 --> 0:18:33.760 and updates from his aids every day while they were 0:18:33.800 --> 0:18:36.879 on their honeymoon. It wouldn't even be a full week 0:18:37.119 --> 0:18:40.400 after they returned from the sea for that honeymoon bubble 0:18:40.560 --> 0:18:45.719 to officially burst. Just three days after they returned, the 0:18:45.920 --> 0:18:52.399 prime minister was assassinated by assailants connected to conservative Muslim militants. 0:18:53.160 --> 0:18:56.960 On top of throwing the country into disarray, the prime 0:18:56.960 --> 0:19:01.399 Minister's assassination made way for mass to rise to the 0:19:01.480 --> 0:19:06.560 seat of prime minister. Capitalizing on the moment, Masides set 0:19:06.600 --> 0:19:11.800 about initiating the nationalization of Iranian oil, which would eventually 0:19:11.840 --> 0:19:18.359 become one of the most consequential events in modern Iranian history. Understandably, 0:19:18.480 --> 0:19:22.000 the British and American governments were not thrilled with the 0:19:22.119 --> 0:19:26.679 nationalization of Iranian oil. That move not only would result 0:19:26.760 --> 0:19:30.320 in a Western company losing out on profit, but was 0:19:30.400 --> 0:19:35.600 also too close to communist ideology for comfort. Fearing that 0:19:35.680 --> 0:19:39.639 the nationalization of oil would facilitate the encroachment of the 0:19:39.760 --> 0:19:44.560 USSR on Iran. The UK and US tried to bargain 0:19:44.640 --> 0:19:48.520 with Masidae and the Iranian people, but Masiday wouldn't budge. 0:19:49.160 --> 0:19:54.680 It was nationalization or nothing. Simultaneously, the new Prime Minister 0:19:55.000 --> 0:19:59.520 moved to consolidate his power and maneuver the Shah out 0:19:59.560 --> 0:20:03.920 of any real role within the government. After months of 0:20:04.080 --> 0:20:09.000 political back and forth and major opposition from unsurprisingly the Shah, 0:20:09.800 --> 0:20:14.840 Massidas succeeded in nineteen fifty three in assuming powers that 0:20:14.920 --> 0:20:18.240 were once held by the ruler. The Shah had been 0:20:18.280 --> 0:20:23.720 relinquished to essentially a figurehead monarch. His advisers no longer 0:20:23.880 --> 0:20:27.439 visited him, and no one asked for his opinion on 0:20:27.600 --> 0:20:31.320 matters of state. The Shah, who had been raised and 0:20:31.600 --> 0:20:34.879 trained his whole life to be a head of state, 0:20:35.080 --> 0:20:39.480 only to have that taken away, sank into a deep depression. 0:20:41.320 --> 0:20:45.160 While navigating her new role as empress, learning to manage 0:20:45.200 --> 0:20:49.040 personalities within the palla Vi family, and trying to master 0:20:49.160 --> 0:20:52.760 the Farsi language, Soriah did her best to be a 0:20:52.920 --> 0:20:58.000 steadfast support to the Shah. During this time. She saw 0:20:58.040 --> 0:21:01.919 her ultimate duty as her husband's well being, so she 0:21:02.040 --> 0:21:05.440 made it her mission to bring him some relief, but 0:21:05.520 --> 0:21:08.600 there was little she could do to assuage the Shaw's 0:21:08.720 --> 0:21:13.680 paranoia and sense of hopelessness. She was stuck sleeping next 0:21:13.680 --> 0:21:17.239 to a man who barely smiled during the day and 0:21:17.520 --> 0:21:20.960 was always keeping a gun under his pillow at night. 0:21:21.760 --> 0:21:25.280 The Shah had warned Sria during their engagement that being 0:21:25.400 --> 0:21:29.399 empress was not all glitz and glamour. On a walk 0:21:29.440 --> 0:21:32.720 before their wedding, the Shah had said to his fiance, quote, 0:21:33.000 --> 0:21:36.360 don't imagine that I'm offering you an easy life, Sria. 0:21:36.840 --> 0:21:40.399 The duties that you must accept will be hard and wearisome. 0:21:40.920 --> 0:21:44.560 I hope you have no illusions on that score. Soria 0:21:44.840 --> 0:21:49.679 didn't realize just how hard and wearisome it actually would be. 0:21:51.359 --> 0:21:54.840 In early August nineteen fifty three, the Shah tried to 0:21:54.840 --> 0:21:58.560 make one last move to reclaim his power, and, with 0:21:58.680 --> 0:22:01.919 the support of the US in the UK, issued a 0:22:02.000 --> 0:22:07.240 proclamation calling for Masides resignation that he sent loyal army 0:22:07.280 --> 0:22:12.920 officers to execute. The attempted coup backfired, and the Shah 0:22:12.960 --> 0:22:16.960 had to flee the country immediately to avoid being arrested. 0:22:17.560 --> 0:22:19.879 At four in the morning, the Shah shook his wife 0:22:19.880 --> 0:22:23.439 awake and told her to pack up. They had to 0:22:23.560 --> 0:22:28.119 leave right now, Sayah. The Shah and two other close 0:22:28.160 --> 0:22:32.720 courtiers scrambled onto a small plane and quickly took off, 0:22:33.280 --> 0:22:37.000 fleeing Ran with no idea of when they would return. 0:22:37.760 --> 0:22:40.840 After stopping in Baghdad for a few days, the couple 0:22:40.960 --> 0:22:45.480 arrived in Rome, where from the seclusion of their hotel suite, 0:22:46.119 --> 0:22:50.040 they grappled with the fact that they were no longer royalty. 0:22:51.000 --> 0:22:54.760 In the afternoons, over their tea, they started putting together 0:22:54.920 --> 0:22:58.879 some sort of plan for a normal life. Maybe they 0:22:58.920 --> 0:23:01.679 could buy a bit of land in the US and 0:23:01.920 --> 0:23:05.920 lived there. Soria was starting to accept their fate as 0:23:06.160 --> 0:23:11.600 normal everyday people when the tide in Iran turned in 0:23:11.680 --> 0:23:15.480 late August nineteen fifty three, just a few weeks after 0:23:15.520 --> 0:23:19.960 the royal couple fled, the Iranian military, supported by the CIA, 0:23:20.440 --> 0:23:24.000 overthrew the prime Minister and called the Shah to return 0:23:24.119 --> 0:23:29.080 to Iran and his throne. With that dramatic reversal of fortune, 0:23:29.119 --> 0:23:32.720 the royal couple returned to Iran more powerful than ever 0:23:33.240 --> 0:23:38.400 and finally began living the luxurious courtly life that Sarria 0:23:38.560 --> 0:23:42.720 had once imagined for herself when she first became engaged. 0:23:43.280 --> 0:23:48.639 Siria threw masquerade balls and finally redid the Imperial residence 0:23:49.080 --> 0:23:53.000 with the help of a famed Parisian designer. She bought 0:23:53.040 --> 0:23:57.000 an all new wardrobe of the hottest styles and became 0:23:57.160 --> 0:24:01.800 the most important woman into Irand's social scene. They were 0:24:01.920 --> 0:24:05.640 living the life she had dreamed of. They had weathered 0:24:05.680 --> 0:24:09.760 the storm and now they were home free. But the 0:24:09.800 --> 0:24:14.040 thing that would really deprive Soria of her dreams had 0:24:14.119 --> 0:24:20.240 yet to rear its head. The chaos that had been 0:24:20.320 --> 0:24:24.320 Iran for the past three years had diverted attention from 0:24:24.359 --> 0:24:29.879 an important aspect of the royal couple's marriage children. It 0:24:29.960 --> 0:24:33.600 hadn't been clear that the Shah would ultimately remain in power, 0:24:33.960 --> 0:24:38.000 so why bother worrying about producing an air But since 0:24:38.040 --> 0:24:41.879 the monarchy had emerged in nineteen fifty three, not only 0:24:42.000 --> 0:24:46.400 intact but stronger than ever, it was time to get serious. 0:24:47.040 --> 0:24:51.119 And get serious the Shah and Soria did. When not 0:24:51.359 --> 0:24:55.720 working towards a child, the couple would fantasize about their baby, 0:24:56.119 --> 0:24:59.560 whom the Shah was certain would be a boy. Soria 0:24:59.720 --> 0:25:03.480 wished the same, but she was growing worried as she 0:25:03.640 --> 0:25:09.600 remained without child month after month, it soon became clear 0:25:09.720 --> 0:25:13.199 to Soria that the Shah was also becoming worried and 0:25:13.320 --> 0:25:17.240 a bit frustrated. The couple was scheduled to set off 0:25:17.280 --> 0:25:21.480 on a long overdue vacation across America and Europe that 0:25:21.600 --> 0:25:26.399 included Hollywood parties, waterskiing in Miami, and a dinner with 0:25:26.480 --> 0:25:30.880 Queen Elizabeth. But the trip was not just for pleasure. 0:25:31.560 --> 0:25:34.480 Right before the trip, the sha had made plans for 0:25:34.520 --> 0:25:39.280 Soria to see specialists about her fertility. They would stop 0:25:39.440 --> 0:25:43.480 in both New York and Boston to meet with doctors 0:25:43.600 --> 0:25:47.920 for a quote checkup. As Soria was eager to become 0:25:47.960 --> 0:25:51.000 a mother, she was more than ready to receive answers 0:25:51.080 --> 0:25:54.920 and hopefully reassurance that a baby was not far off. 0:25:55.560 --> 0:25:59.359 The issue of producing an air became that much more important. 0:25:59.440 --> 0:26:04.159 In Okat'burd nineteen fifty four, just days before they left 0:26:04.240 --> 0:26:08.919 for their trip, the Shah's younger brother, Alireza, the only 0:26:09.000 --> 0:26:13.399 person who could inherit the throne by Iranian law, died 0:26:13.480 --> 0:26:18.320 in a plane crash. Now it was imperative that Sriah 0:26:18.400 --> 0:26:23.160 produced not just a child, but a son. The survival 0:26:23.280 --> 0:26:28.679 of the Pahlavi dynasty depended on it. In her autobiographies, 0:26:28.800 --> 0:26:32.840 Soriah reflected on her trip to the US and Europe fondly. 0:26:33.359 --> 0:26:37.240 She spoke of the dresses she purchased, the amazing venues 0:26:37.280 --> 0:26:40.360 they stayed at, the celebrities they met, and the gifts 0:26:40.400 --> 0:26:44.520 they received. She made only scant mention of the doctor's 0:26:44.520 --> 0:26:47.680 appointments in New York and no mention of her time 0:26:47.720 --> 0:26:51.440 in Boston. But it was these appointments that marked an 0:26:51.480 --> 0:26:54.840 inflection point in her marriage to the Shah, as it 0:26:54.960 --> 0:26:57.720 was in Boston that they learned she would never be 0:26:57.840 --> 0:27:01.640 able to carry a child. This would be the thing 0:27:01.920 --> 0:27:06.800 that would ultimately keep Soriah from her happiness, that which 0:27:06.840 --> 0:27:10.560 would prevent soria from living with her true love in 0:27:10.640 --> 0:27:14.640 the royal court of her homeland. It had finally reared 0:27:14.720 --> 0:27:19.239 its head. Even if the two remained in love, the 0:27:19.320 --> 0:27:22.480 next three years of their marriage would always be tainted 0:27:22.600 --> 0:27:25.680 by the fact that soria could not produce an air. 0:27:26.320 --> 0:27:29.160 One day, while out on a walk together, Soriah had 0:27:29.200 --> 0:27:32.520 had enough, and she beseeched the Shah to change the 0:27:32.600 --> 0:27:35.800 constitution so that one of his half brothers could become 0:27:35.880 --> 0:27:40.440 his heir, something that was previously outlawed. Her husband responded 0:27:40.480 --> 0:27:42.840 by saying that this change would have to go through 0:27:42.960 --> 0:27:46.640 the Council of Wise Men, who might not accept it. 0:27:47.200 --> 0:27:51.240 But what if he offered he took another wife solely 0:27:51.359 --> 0:27:54.600 for the purpose of producing an air That way, Soria 0:27:54.720 --> 0:27:59.560 would still get to remain empress. Soria was beyond offended 0:27:59.640 --> 0:28:04.440 and rejected that offer outright. Instead, she offered to leave 0:28:04.600 --> 0:28:08.320 for Europe so that Mohammed Reza might convene the Counsel 0:28:08.400 --> 0:28:11.960 of Wise Men and they might avoid any awkwardness that 0:28:11.960 --> 0:28:16.080 would arise from their decision. The Shah thought that was 0:28:16.160 --> 0:28:19.600 a smart idea. It was then that they both knew, 0:28:20.040 --> 0:28:23.120 whether or not they would admit it, that their marriage 0:28:23.240 --> 0:28:28.119 was over. The Shah would sacrifice his love for his dynasty, 0:28:28.680 --> 0:28:33.240 which in the end he wouldn't even keep. Seven years 0:28:33.320 --> 0:28:37.440 and one day after they first got married, Soriah left 0:28:37.480 --> 0:28:42.000 Iran for the last time. One month later, on March fourteenth, 0:28:42.200 --> 0:28:45.440 nineteen fifty eight, the Shah would speak over the radio 0:28:45.560 --> 0:28:50.360 announcing the couple's divorce, and Soria, even though she understood 0:28:50.400 --> 0:28:53.520 why the Shah had to do this, would never quite 0:28:53.560 --> 0:28:57.360 forgive him for it, perhaps letting the worst of her 0:28:57.440 --> 0:29:01.920 racist beliefs surface in her first autobiography, she called the 0:29:01.920 --> 0:29:07.200 Shah fundamentally and oriental. She believed that he wasn't Western 0:29:07.360 --> 0:29:10.200 enough to give up his throne for love, like the 0:29:10.320 --> 0:29:14.200 Duke of Windsor had done for Wallace Simpson. Even though 0:29:14.200 --> 0:29:17.880 she knew how dedicated he was to his throne and 0:29:18.040 --> 0:29:21.520 knew that he expected her to know that, she still 0:29:21.600 --> 0:29:26.520 thought he would choose her over ruling Iran. But ultimately 0:29:26.640 --> 0:29:30.840 soria and the Shah both had lost the loves of 0:29:30.920 --> 0:29:34.360 their lives. The love that had burned so bright had 0:29:34.400 --> 0:29:38.920 flamed out through no fault of their own. Their circumstances 0:29:38.960 --> 0:29:42.360 and the reality that they lived in prevented them from 0:29:42.480 --> 0:29:50.360 living out there happily. Ever after. Soriah's life after her 0:29:50.400 --> 0:29:55.360 divorce was difficult. She described this period as a quote 0:29:55.560 --> 0:29:57.800 free fall, where she had to learn how to be 0:29:57.920 --> 0:30:02.840 a normal adult without the trappings of royal status. Forget 0:30:02.960 --> 0:30:07.640 living without your beloved. Imagine trying to learn from scratch 0:30:07.720 --> 0:30:11.800 how to tip waiters or follow road signs when you drive, 0:30:12.360 --> 0:30:16.560