Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiary (1932–2001) was the second wife of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and Queen of Iran from 1951 to 1958. Their marriage suffered many pressures, particularly when it became clear that she was infertile. 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 with her brother in Paris until her death.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiary transformed from the “Persian Cinderella” and Queen of Iran into a glamorous, yet melancholic, European socialite and actress. Often called “the princess with the sad eyes,” her life during these decades was defined by a high-profile royal marriage and a heartbreaking exile driven by dynastic duty.
At age 18, she married Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, in 1951. Her Christian Dior wedding gown, featuring 27 yards of silver lamé and 20,000 feathers, became legendary. As Queen, she became an international fashion symbol, frequently appearing on magazine covers and being compared to Hollywood stars like Ava Gardner.
By the mid-1950s, the marriage faced immense pressure as Soraya was unable to conceive. Despite seeking medical treatments across Europe, she remained infertile. Refusing to allow the Shah to take a second wife to produce an heir, she agreed to a divorce “for the welfare of the people.” The Shah reportedly wept when announcing the separation on national radio.
After her divorce, Soraya was granted the title of Princess and settled in Europe, primarily living between Rome and Paris. In 1965, she attempted to reinvent herself as a film actress. She starred in the Italian film I tre volti (The Three Faces) and appeared in the adventure film She. During the filming of I tre volti, she became the companion of Italian director Franco Indovina. However, after Indovina died in a plane crash in 1972, she largely withdrew from public life and the arts.
Throughout the 1960s, she remained a fixture of the “Jet Set,” frequently photographed at cafés and social events in Paris and Rome, though she was often characterized by the media as a lonely figure.
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