Iranian Queen · Soraya Esfandiari · Princess Soraya 1951 Princess Soraya in a Dior Dress.
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Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiary
For other uses, see Soraya (disambiguation).
Queen of Iran from 1951 to 1958
Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiary (Persian: ثریا اسفندیاری بختیاری, romanized: Sorayâ Esfandiâri-Baxtiâri; 22 June 1932 – 25 October 2001) was Queen of Iran as the second wife of ShahMohammad Reza Pahlavi, whom she married in 1951.
Their marriage suffered many pressures, particularly when it became clear that she was infertile. She rejected the Shah's suggestion that he might take a second wife in order to produce an heir, as he rejected her suggestion that he might abdicate in favor of his half-brother.
Soraya is wearing a dress commissioned from Christian Dior, comprised of 37 yards of silver lamé overloaded with gold embroidery, pearls and.In March 1958, their divorce was announced. After a brief career as an actress, and a liaison with Italian film director Franco Indovina, Soraya lived alone in Paris until her death.
Early life and education
Soraya was the elder child and only daughter of Khalil Esfandiary-Bakhtiary (1901–1983),[1] a Bakhtiari nobleman and Iranian ambassador to West Ger