A Meeting With Empress Farah Pahlavi of Iran!

I had the honor of meeting Empress Farah Pahlavi yesterday for tea and an interview! Queen Farah, as she is known in my family, was the wife of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi who served as the last shah of Iran. Mohammad Reza was known for his progressiveness which he promoted through what he called the "White Revolution". This was a series of social reforms to modernize Iran across multiple fronts. It included building new infrastructure, supporting healthcare, and expanding women's rights. But change takes getting used to, and many rural Iranians viewed these reforms as infringing upon their millennia-old traditions. These Iranians united and found support from religious leader Ayatollah Khomeini who would start an uprising that would topple the monarchy and establish the Islamic Republic of today. During the Iranian Revolution of 1979, the Shah and his family went into exile, but planned to return to Iran when the protests died down. They never did. Yesterday, over 40 years after she left Iran, I met with the Empress herself.

My grandparents were among the millions of Iranians who fled the country when Khomeini took power. Back in Iran, my grandparents were close with Queen Farah and Reza Shah. In fact, my great-grandfather was the royal physician and delivered all four of Queen Farah's children. During the revolution, my great-grandfather would be unable to leave the country and was put under house arrest for the remainder of his life.

Queen Farah and her family lived all over the world in exile. At the time she left Iran, her husband, the king, was battling cancer and he soon passed away. Farah and her family eventually settled in the United States where her children would continue their education through the American school and university system. She would also acquire an apartment in Paris, the city where she was educated, and split her time between the two countries.

Today, Farah lives in Potomac, Maryland, just fifteen minutes from my grandparents' house. They visit her regularly to reminisce about old times and hear about her ongoing work in the Iranian community today. It was on one such visit, that my grandparents invited me to speak with the Empress.

I had prepared questions a week before, rehearsed what I was going to say for one hour, and had even brought my book to give her as a hostess gift. But, despite all this I was still so nervous. Not knowing how to dress for a former monarch, I wore the nicest dress I had with a modest white cardigan. When we arrived at her large, but inviting, brick house, an attendent opened the door. I had never seen this before, but I thanked her and stepped inside. We were greeted by the Queen's companion and I tried to make small-talk as we waited for the Queen to arrive.

She descended from the steps with elegance and welcomed my grandparents with an embrace each. She was elderly (almost 90) but carried herself with the regal poise of a monarch. I was so shy I could hardly speak, but I mustered up the courage to thank Her Majesty in Farsi.

I interviewed the Queen on the history of Iranian music and her thoughts on the future of Iran. The interview will hopefully appear in the film that I am creating this summer and possibly in a future podcast episode. The Queen asserted the importance of music in Iranian culture and its deep historical ties to the nation. During her time on the throne, she started the Shiraz Music Festival to connect Iranian music with music from around the world. She described the event as a meeting of "East and West". When the conversation shifted towards the topics of the recent protests in Iran and the future of the nation, the Queen remained wholly positive. Her Majesty is an individual who has experienced great suffering in her lifetime, and I asked her how she continues to find hope despite the trying times. Her main message to me and to all Iranians was to always stay positive and that optimism is her weapon that can never be taken away.

I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to meet Her Majesty, and to my grandpents who made the meeting possible. I wrapped up our conversation feeling incredibly inspired. Just seconds after we had finished recording, Queen Farah received a phone call. The number was unknown and from Texas, but she picked up anyways. It was an old Iranian woman on her deathbed calling to hear the Queen's voice. She told Queen Farah that it was her dying wish to speak to the Queen and now that she had, she was ready to pass. Queen Farah gave her encouragement and passed on the same message of hope and positivity. I was so touched, I almost started to cry.

Queen Farah told me she gathers much of her hope from the progress and power of Iranians today. She sees their efforts, their protests, their art and music, and knows that Iran will emerge from this oppressive government stronger than before. I responded by saying that these Iranians she feels so connected to look to her as a source of inspiration and empowerment. Just like the woman who called her from Texas.

Our meeting lasted only a few hours, but the wisdom she shared will last a lifetime. If you are interested in learning more about her life you can read her autobiography, An Enduring Love. The book details her middle-class upbringing, how she met the Shah, her life as the Empress, and the challenges she faced during and after the Revolution. It is a fascinating, heartbreaking, and empowering book, that provides a unique perspective on a complicated time in Iranian history.