Princess Fawzia Farouk of Egypt
Encyclopedia
HRH Princess Fawzia (7 April 1940 – 27 January 2005) was the second daughter of King
Farouk I
of Egypt
and his first wife Queen Farida
.
Born in Abdeen Palace
in Cairo
in the fourth year of her father's reign, Fawzia was named after her paternal aunt, who was reportedly King Farouk's favourite sister. Princess Fawzia was 12 years old when the July 1952 Revolution led to her father's forced abdication and his departure from Egypt. Along with her two sisters and half-brother
, she travelled with King Farouk on his last voyage out of Egypt, and lived with him in exile in Rome
. Two years later, the three young princesses were sent to a Swiss
boarding school by the king. Their mother Queen Farida stayed in Egypt, and joined her daughters in Switzerland only a decade after the revolution.
Princess Fawzia was an accomplished athlete. She took flying lessons
and obtained a pilot's licence. A professional sailor
, she managed to reach the rank of captain
, and was also a passionate scuba diver
. Thanks to her multilingualism
(she mastered French
, English
, Italian
, Spanish
and Arabic
), Princess Fawzia passed a difficult exam which qualified her to work as a simultaneous interpreter in Switzerland. She was not rich, as her father had died without leaving his daughters much, and had to rely on her interpreting job as her sole means of subsistence. Although she had lost her royal status, Princess Fawzia remained strongly attached to her homeland, and visited Egypt as often as she could. Unlike her two sisters, she never married. In 1995, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis
, which left her paralysed and bedridden. She died in Lausanne
in 2005. Her body was flown to Cairo where she was buried at Al-Rifa'i Mosque, the traditional resting place of members of the Egyptian royal family
.
King of Egypt
King of Egypt was the title used by the ruler of Egypt between 1922 and 1951. When the United Kingdom ended its protectorate over Egypt on 28 February 1922, Egypt's Sultan Fouad I issued a decree on 15 March 1922 whereby he adopted the title of King of Egypt...
Farouk I
Farouk of Egypt
Farouk I of Egypt , was the tenth ruler from the Muhammad Ali Dynasty and the penultimate King of Egypt and Sudan, succeeding his father, Fuad I, in 1936....
of Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and his first wife Queen Farida
Farida of Egypt
Queen Farida, born Safinaz Zulficar was the Queen consort of Egypt and the first wife of King Farouk.-Personal life:...
.
Born in Abdeen Palace
Abdeen Palace
Abdeen Palace is a historic Cairo palace, and one of the official residences and the principal workplace of the President of Egypt, located above Qasr el-Nil Street in eastern Downtown Cairo, Egypt.- Overview :...
in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
in the fourth year of her father's reign, Fawzia was named after her paternal aunt, who was reportedly King Farouk's favourite sister. Princess Fawzia was 12 years old when the July 1952 Revolution led to her father's forced abdication and his departure from Egypt. Along with her two sisters and half-brother
Fuad II of Egypt
Fuad II was the last King of Egypt and Sudan.- Biography :He ascended the throne on 26 July 1952 upon the abdication of his father King Farouk I following the Egyptian Revolution of 1952...
, she travelled with King Farouk on his last voyage out of Egypt, and lived with him in exile in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. Two years later, the three young princesses were sent to a Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
boarding school by the king. Their mother Queen Farida stayed in Egypt, and joined her daughters in Switzerland only a decade after the revolution.
Princess Fawzia was an accomplished athlete. She took flying lessons
Flight training
Flight training is a course of study used when learning to pilot an aircraft. The overall purpose of primary and intermediate flight training is the acquisition and honing of basic airmanship skills....
and obtained a pilot's licence. A professional sailor
Sailor
A sailor, mariner, or seaman is a person who navigates water-borne vessels or assists in their operation, maintenance, or service. The term can apply to professional mariners, military personnel, and recreational sailors as well as a plethora of other uses...
, she managed to reach the rank of captain
Captain (nautical)
A sea captain is a licensed mariner in ultimate command of the vessel. The captain is responsible for its safe and efficient operation, including cargo operations, navigation, crew management and ensuring that the vessel complies with local and international laws, as well as company and flag...
, and was also a passionate scuba diver
Scuba diving
Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....
. Thanks to her multilingualism
Multilingualism
Multilingualism is the act of using, or promoting the use of, multiple languages, either by an individual speaker or by a community of speakers. Multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world's population. Multilingualism is becoming a social phenomenon governed by the needs of...
(she mastered French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
), Princess Fawzia passed a difficult exam which qualified her to work as a simultaneous interpreter in Switzerland. She was not rich, as her father had died without leaving his daughters much, and had to rely on her interpreting job as her sole means of subsistence. Although she had lost her royal status, Princess Fawzia remained strongly attached to her homeland, and visited Egypt as often as she could. Unlike her two sisters, she never married. In 1995, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease in which the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and scarring as well as a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms...
, which left her paralysed and bedridden. She died in Lausanne
Lausanne
Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
in 2005. Her body was flown to Cairo where she was buried at Al-Rifa'i Mosque, the traditional resting place of members of the Egyptian royal family
Muhammad Ali Dynasty
The Muhammad Ali Dynasty was the ruling dynasty of Egypt and Sudan, from the 19th to the mid-20th Century. It is named after its progenitor, Muhammad Ali Pasha, regarded as the founder of modern Egypt. It was also more formally known as the Alawiyya Dynasty...
.