Hamid Mirza
Encyclopedia
Prince Soltan Hamid Mirza Qajar (23 April 1918 – 5 May 1988) was the head and heir presumptive
of the Qajar dynasty
the former ruling dynasty of Iran
and the son of the last Qajar Crown Prince of Iran.
, the son of Crown Prince Mohammad Hassan Mirza
and his second wife Muhtaram Razzaghi. His early years were spent at the Golestan Palace
until he was sent by his father at the age of 4 to be educated in England
. On his way to England he visited his grandfather Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar
in Constantinople
. His grandfather had abdicated in 1909 after the Iranian Constitutional Revolution
. He did not go on England as his grandfather felt he was too young to go. Instead he lived with his grandfather: first in Constantinople, and later in San Remo
, Italy
, where his grandfather died on 5 April 1924. After the death of his grandfather Hamid Mirza and his older brother Hossein Mirza moved to Paris
for a year. When the Qajar dynasty was overthrown in 1925, Hamid Mirza and his brother moved to England with their father. His brother, Hossein, subsequently emigrated to Canada and worked as an architect in Toronto.
In 1934 Hamid Mirza enrolled in the Thames Nautical Training College aboard HMS Worcester in Greenhithe
, Kent
. He graduated in 1936 with a nautical degree and joined the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company
as a cadet. After three years with the Royal Mail, Hamid Mirza left to join Mobil Oil
.
, Hamid Mirza's tried to join the Royal Navy
but was not accepted. He was finally accepted into the Navy in 1942. He served as a sub-lieutenant on HMS Duke of York
and HMS Wild Goose
. Foreign Secretary
Anthony Eden
asked him to adopt a British name for his service, due to possible political or diplomatic complications. He used the name "David Drummond" during his naval service. The name was chosen in part after David,the son of his friend Richard Thesiger, and in part after the "Bulldog Drummond" character.
During the war there were discussions between the British government and Hamid Mirza and his father about the possible restoration the Qajar dynasty, since Reza Shah
had been deposed. Hamid Mirza and his father were both candidates for the throne. But Hamid Mirza was not seriously considered, as having lived in England since the age of six, he didn't speak Persian
.
. During his time in Iran, he was arrested on two occasions by SAVAK
. He left Iran in 1971 to return to London
.
He became head and the Heir Presumptive of the Qajar dynasty on the death of his cousin Fereydoun Mirza
on 24 September 1975. Upon his death on 5 May 1988 in London, his son Mohammad Hassan Mirza II
became the Heir Presumptive of the Qajar Dynasty while his uncle, Mahmoud Mirza
became the new head of the dynasty.
In 1946, he married Mahin Dokht Malek-Mansur (b. 1924), in Paris
. They had two children:
They were divorced in 1957.
On 25 August 1960, he married Soudabeh Afshar (b. 1924) Tehran
. This marriage was childless.
Heir Presumptive
An heir presumptive or heiress presumptive is the person provisionally scheduled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir or heiress apparent or of a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question...
of the Qajar dynasty
Qajar dynasty
The Qajar dynasty was an Iranian royal family of Turkic descent who ruled Persia from 1785 to 1925....
the former ruling dynasty of Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
and the son of the last Qajar Crown Prince of Iran.
Early life
He was born in TabrizTabriz
Tabriz is the fourth largest city and one of the historical capitals of Iran and the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. Situated at an altitude of 1,350 meters at the junction of the Quri River and Aji River, it was the second largest city in Iran until the late 1960s, one of its former...
, the son of Crown Prince Mohammad Hassan Mirza
Mohammad Hassan Mirza
Mohammad Hassan Mirza , brother of Ahmed Shah Qajar of Iran, and former Crown Prince of the Qajar dynasty. Soon after Reza Shah deposed the Qajar dynasty and made himself Shah of Iran in 1925, Prince Mohammad Hassan and his family were sent into permanent exile to England...
and his second wife Muhtaram Razzaghi. His early years were spent at the Golestan Palace
Golestan Palace
Golestān Palace pronounced "Kakheh Golestān" is the former royal Qajar complex in Iran's capital city.The oldest of the historic monuments in Tehran, the Golestan Palace belongs to a group of royal buildings that were once enclosed within the mud-thatched walls of Tehran’s Historic Arg...
until he was sent by his father at the age of 4 to be educated in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. On his way to England he visited his grandfather Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar
Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar
Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar was the Shah of Persia from 8 January 1907 to 16 July 1909.-Biography:He was against the constitution that was ratified during the reign of his father, Mozzafar-al-Din Shah...
in Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
. His grandfather had abdicated in 1909 after the Iranian Constitutional Revolution
Iranian Constitutional Revolution
The Persian Constitutional Revolution or Iranian Constitutional Revolution took place between 1905 and 1907...
. He did not go on England as his grandfather felt he was too young to go. Instead he lived with his grandfather: first in Constantinople, and later in San Remo
Sanremo
Sanremo or San Remo is a city with about 57,000 inhabitants on the Mediterranean coast of western Liguria in north-western Italy. Founded in Roman times, the city is best known as a tourist destination on the Italian Riviera. It hosts numerous cultural events, such as the Sanremo Music Festival...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, where his grandfather died on 5 April 1924. After the death of his grandfather Hamid Mirza and his older brother Hossein Mirza moved to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
for a year. When the Qajar dynasty was overthrown in 1925, Hamid Mirza and his brother moved to England with their father. His brother, Hossein, subsequently emigrated to Canada and worked as an architect in Toronto.
In 1934 Hamid Mirza enrolled in the Thames Nautical Training College aboard HMS Worcester in Greenhithe
Greenhithe
Greenhithe is a town in Dartford District of Kent, England. It forms part of the civil parish of Swanscombe and Greenhithe.Greenhithe, as it is spelled today, is located where it was possible to build wharves for transshipping corn, wood and other commodities; its largest cargoes were of chalk and...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
. He graduated in 1936 with a nautical degree and joined the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company
Royal Mail Steam Packet Company
The Royal Mail Steam Packet Company was a British shipping company founded in London in 1839 by Scot James Macqueen. After good and bad times it became the largest shipping group in the world in 1927 when it took over the White Star Line....
as a cadet. After three years with the Royal Mail, Hamid Mirza left to join Mobil Oil
Mobil
Mobil, previously known as the Socony-Vacuum Oil Company, was a major American oil company which merged with Exxon in 1999 to form ExxonMobil. Today Mobil continues as a major brand name within the combined company, as well as still being a gas station sometimes paired with their own store or On...
.
World War II
At the outbreak of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Hamid Mirza's tried to join the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
but was not accepted. He was finally accepted into the Navy in 1942. He served as a sub-lieutenant on HMS Duke of York
HMS Duke of York (17)
HMS Duke of York was a King George V-class battleship of the Royal Navy. Laid down in May 1937, the ship was constructed by John Brown and Company at Clydebank, Scotland, and commissioned into the Royal Navy on 4 November 1941, subsequently seeing service during the Second World War.In...
and HMS Wild Goose
HMS Wild Goose (U45)
HMS Wild Goose was a Black Swan-class sloop of the Royal Navy. She was one of several ships of that class that took part in the famous "six in one trip" in 1943 ....
. Foreign Secretary
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, commonly referred to as the Foreign Secretary, is a senior member of Her Majesty's Government heading the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and regarded as one of the Great Offices of State...
Anthony Eden
Anthony Eden
Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon, KG, MC, PC was a British Conservative politician, who was Prime Minister from 1955 to 1957...
asked him to adopt a British name for his service, due to possible political or diplomatic complications. He used the name "David Drummond" during his naval service. The name was chosen in part after David,the son of his friend Richard Thesiger, and in part after the "Bulldog Drummond" character.
During the war there were discussions between the British government and Hamid Mirza and his father about the possible restoration the Qajar dynasty, since Reza Shah
Reza Shah
Rezā Shāh, also known as Rezā Shāh Pahlavi and Rezā Shāh Kabir , , was the Shah of the Imperial State of Iran from December 15, 1925, until he was forced to abdicate by the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran on September 16, 1941.In 1925, Reza Shah overthrew Ahmad Shah Qajar, the last Shah of the Qajar...
had been deposed. Hamid Mirza and his father were both candidates for the throne. But Hamid Mirza was not seriously considered, as having lived in England since the age of six, he didn't speak Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
.
Post war
After the war Hamid Mirza returned to Mobil Oil. In 1957, he returned to Iran for the first time since he had left as a four year old, taking up a position in TehranTehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
. During his time in Iran, he was arrested on two occasions by SAVAK
SAVAK
SAVAK was the secret police, domestic security and intelligence service established by Iran's Mohammad Reza Shah on the recommendation of the British Government and with the help of the United States' Central Intelligence Agency SAVAK (Persian: ساواک, short for سازمان اطلاعات و امنیت کشور...
. He left Iran in 1971 to return to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
He became head and the Heir Presumptive of the Qajar dynasty on the death of his cousin Fereydoun Mirza
Fereydoun Mirza Qajar
Shahzada Freydoun Kadjar was Prince of the Qajar dynasty.-Biography :...
on 24 September 1975. Upon his death on 5 May 1988 in London, his son Mohammad Hassan Mirza II
Mohammad Hassan Mirza II
Prince Mohammad Hasan Mirza II Qajar is the son of Hamid Mirza and a grandson of Mohammad Hassan Mirza the last Crown Prince of Iran from the rule of the Qajar dynasty. As heir apparent, he is considered the Qajar pretender to the Peacock Throne. He currently lives in Dallas, Texas, in the United...
became the Heir Presumptive of the Qajar Dynasty while his uncle, Mahmoud Mirza
Mahmoud Mirza
Mahmoud Mirza Iranian prince of Qajar Dynasty, was the son of Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar.He was head of the Qajar dynasty from the death of his nephew Hamid Mirza on 5 May 1988 until his own death on the 2 July 1988.-Offspring:...
became the new head of the dynasty.
Family
He was married twice.In 1946, he married Mahin Dokht Malek-Mansur (b. 1924), in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. They had two children:
- Prince Mohammad Hassan Mirza IIMohammad Hassan Mirza IIPrince Mohammad Hasan Mirza II Qajar is the son of Hamid Mirza and a grandson of Mohammad Hassan Mirza the last Crown Prince of Iran from the rule of the Qajar dynasty. As heir apparent, he is considered the Qajar pretender to the Peacock Throne. He currently lives in Dallas, Texas, in the United...
(b. 18 July 1949) - Princess Nasrin Dokht (b. 8 February 1951)
They were divorced in 1957.
On 25 August 1960, he married Soudabeh Afshar (b. 1924) Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
. This marriage was childless.