Figure 1.--Here we see King Farouk and his children living in exile in Switezrland. The press caption read, "Farouk and Children at LauLausanne: Former King Farouk of Egypt, and his four children are photographed at Lausanne, Switzerland, near Lake Geneva, where they are living. At left is Princess Ferial, seated, and standing at left is Princess Fadia. Standing at right is Princess awzia. In front of the former ruler is Prince Ahmed Faud. The boy's mother is Narriman Sadek, second wife of the ruler, and the mother of the girls is is Princess Faridam Farouk's first wife." The photograph is dated July 8, 1956. Notice how the girls are dressed and wear their hair. Western styles like that are no longer seen in Egypt.

Prince Farouk was the only son of Fouad I. He was born in Cairo at Abdeen Palace, Cairo (1920). He was the eldest child of Sultan Fuad I (to be King Fuad I) and his second wife, Nazli Sabri. He was of primarily Circassian (Caucasian) discent, with some Turkish, French, and Albanian ancestry. Farouk was educated in Cairo and then the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich. He was at first popular when he seceeded to the Egyptian throne at age 16 years (1936). There was no regency. He was largely seen as a dedicated and promising young monarch. The young king quickly became enamored of a glamorous, extragent royal lifestyle. Monarch gave him access to substantial wealth in a very poor country. As king he owned thousands of acres of land, dozens of palaces, and hundreds of vehicles. The young king began making trips to Europe on grand shopping extravaganzas. As a result of the British, there was a largely free and vocal press in Egypt reporting on this. As his behavior became well known, his subjects who mostly ekeded out a bare existence, soon changed their opinion. A struggle of the monarchy with populist forces dominated by Wafd Party soon emerged as the major issue in Eyptian politics. The King's extravagant even vulgar behavior undrmined any chance he had of competing with populist forces a well of making an alliance with Islamic fundamentalists. The King as his popularity declined moved away from progressive reform to absolutism and debauchery. World War II broke out in Europe when Hitler and Stalin invaded Poland (September 1939). The War and fighting was at first far away from Egypt. Italy entered the War after the Germans had largely defeated France (June 1940). Italy mintained a massive army in its Libyan colony which bordered Egypt. The Italians and Germans attempted to seize the Suez Canal as part of the Western Desert campaign (1940-42). During World War II when most Egyptians had to endure hardships, increasing ctiticism was levelled at Farouk for his conspicous lifestyle. He even insisted on burning the lights at his Alexandria palace despite the city blackout as a result of the German and Italian bombing was severly criticized. After World War II, Britain granted Egypt complete independence. World War II, however, may have been a small matter. It was Egypt's military reverses in the First Arab-Isreali War (1948-49) that shocked Eyptians. The public could not understand how thecJews without an army could havedefeated the substantial and well equipped Egyptian Army. This destroyed the King'a already frayed reputation. As the Egyptian leader, in the popular mind he was held responsible. And while Egyptians continued to lanuish in poverty, the King continued his opulent lifestyle. He raised eyebrows when he purchased the pear-shaped 94-carat Star of the East Diamond and a fancy-coloured oval-cut diamond from jeweller Harry Winston, and it was the final straw which doomed his reign (1951). He was deposed by Arab nationsalists led by Col. Nassar who then declared a republic (1952). Ironically the very people who lost the War seized power, but the Army managed to blam the loss on the King.

Created: 11:59 AM 3/14/2018
Last updated: 11:59 AM 3/14/2018