As King Farouk’s second wife, Nariman Sadiq (Oct. 31, 1933-Feb. 16, 2005) – the daughter of Husain Fahmi Sadiq Bey, a high-ranking official in the Egyptian government, and his wife Asila Kamil – was the last Queen of Egypt.
Farouk divorced his first wife, Queen Farida, in 1948, after a ten-year marriage in which she had produced three daughters, but no male heir. Whether it was an attempt to ensure a male heir, or a public relations stunt to strum up public enthusiasm towards a decaying dynasty, the king announced that he was on the look out for a commoner to become his new bride.
Nariman Sadek, then aged 17, was betrothed to UN diplomat Zaki Hashem. While they were shopping around jewelry establishments for an engagement ring, one proprietor contacted the palace to inform the court that he had located a suitable marriage prospect for the king. Machinations were devised whereby the couple were called back to the shop – purportedly to see a very special ring, at a very special price – only to have the King of Egypt emerge from a back room to make their acquaintance.
Sadek s engagement to Hashem was summarily broken off. Her father was given the title of bey , and she was secreted out of the country, to the residence of the Egyptian ambassador in Rome, where she was taught the duties and demeanor of a future queen. In particular, her diet was closely monitored, in order to comply with the rotund Farouk s instructions that she weigh no more than 50 kg on their wedding day.
Farouk and Nariman were married in May 1951 in an ostentatious ceremony, her dress, for example, was decorated with 20,000 diamonds. The ceremony over, they departed for a four-month honeymoon on the royal yacht.
Nariman fulfilled her queenly duty in January 1952, with the birth of their only son, Ahmed Fouad. But the moment was short-lived as later that year, on July 1952, a coup d état headed by Gamal Abdel Nasser forced Farouk to abdicate. He stepped down in favor of his infant son, who assumed the throne as King Fuad II. Fuad s largely symbolic reign was cut short, however, with the establishment of a republic the following year.
Following Farouk s abdication, the royal family went into exile (aboard the royal yacht), but in March 1953, Nariman chose to return to Egypt with her mother as a commoner. She and Farouk divorced in February 1954.
The Arab Image Foundation is a non-profit organization established in Lebanon in 1997. The Foundation aims to locate, collect, preserve and promote the photographic heritage of the Middle East and North Africa. You can visit their extensive collection on www.fai.org.lb,
Over the next coming weeks, in collaboration with AIF, THE DAILY STAR EGYPT will be featuring a selection of photographs from the foundation’s collection. Keep an eye on this column for our upcoming competition.
