Princess Salimah Aga Khan (''née'' Sarah Frances Croker Poole; born 28 January 1940), also known as

Begum Begum (also begüm, bagum, begom, begam, baigum or beygum) is a royal and aristocratic title from Central and South Asia. It is the feminine equivalent of the title ''baig'' or '' bey'', which in Turkic languages means "higher official". It us ...

Salimah Aga Khan, is a former fashion model and an ex-wife of the 49th

Ismaili Isma'ilism ( ar, الإسماعيلية, al-ʾIsmāʿīlīyah) is a branch or sub-sect of Shia Islam. The Isma'ili () get their name from their acceptance of Imam Isma'il ibn Jafar as the appointed spiritual successor (imām) to Ja'far al-Sa ...

Shia Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that the Prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad designated Ali, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his S ...

Imam Imam (; ar, إمام '; plural: ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a worship leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, lead prayers, ser ...

, the IV Aga Khan

Prince Karim Aga Khan Shāh Karim al-Husayni (born 13 December 1936), known by the religious title Mawlānā Hazar Imam by his Ismaili followers and elsewhere as Aga Khan IV, is the 49th and current Imam of Nizari Ismailis, a denomination within Shia Islam. He h ...

Early life

Princess Salimah was born at

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

, as Sarah Frances Croker Poole. She is the daughter of

Lieutenant-Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

Arthur Edward Croker Poole and his wife, Jean Margaret Watson. She was one of the last generation of

debutantes A debutante, also spelled débutante, ( ; from french: débutante , "female beginner") or deb is a young woman of aristocratic or upper-class family background who has reached maturity and, as a new adult, is presented to society at a formal " ...

to be presented to the Queen, in 1958. She married, firstly, Lord James Charles Crichton-Stuart, son of

John Crichton-Stuart, 5th Marquess of Bute John Crichton-Stuart, 5th Marquess of Bute (4 August 1907 – 14 August 1956) was the son of John Crichton-Stuart, 4th Marquess of Bute, and Augusta Bellingham. Marriage and children On 26 April 1932, he married Lady Eileen Beatrice Forbes (1912 ...

and Lady Eileen Beatrice Forbes, on 25 June 1959. She and Lord James Charles Crichton-Stuart were divorced in 1968. She married, secondly, Prince Karim Aga Khan IV, son of

Prince Aly Khan Prince Ali Salman Aga Khan (13 June 1911 – 12 May 1960), known as Aly Khan, was a Pakistani diplomat of Iranian and Italian descent. He was the son of the Aga Khan III, and the father of Aga Khan IV. A socialite, racehorse owner and jockey, ...

and Hon. Princess Taj-ud-dawlah Aga Khan, in 1969. During her marriage to the Aga Khan, her official name was Her Highness The Begum Aga Khan, although she remained informally known as ''Sally''. Following their divorce in 1995, she kept the title of "Princess" (but losing the style "Highness"). In November 1995, "Jewels from the Personal Collection of Princess Salimah Aga Khan" realised $27,682,601 () at

Christie's Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie (auctioneer), James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, at Rockefeller Center in New York City and at Alexandra House in Hong Kong. It is ...

, Geneva.

Charitable career

She is now a child-welfare activist and a prominent supporter of the charity

SOS Children's Villages SOS Children's Villages is an independent, non-governmental, nonprofit international development organization headquartered in Innsbruck, Austria. The organization provides humanitarian and developmental assistance to children in need and protect ...

, becoming its first International Ambassador. As part of her welfare activity she has also aided

Afghan refugees Afghan refugees are citizens of Afghanistan who were compelled to abandon their country as a result of major wars, persecution, torture or genocide. The 1978 Saur Revolution followed by the 1979 Soviet invasion marked the first wave of inter ...

. She has also been active in the

Aga Khan Development Network The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) is a network of private, non-denominational (de jure) development agencies founded by the Aga Khan that work primarily in the poorest parts of Asia and Africa. Aga Khan IV succeeded to the office of the 49t ...

Personal life

She has three children with the Aga Khan: Princess

Zahra Aga Khan Princess Zahra Aga Khan (born 18 September 1970 in Geneva, Switzerland) is the eldest child of Aga Khan IV and his first wife, Princess Salimah Aga Khan. Education Princess Zahra attended Le Rosey School in Switzerland and received her undergr ...

(born 18 September 1970), Prince

Rahim Aga Khan Prince Rahim Aga Khan (; born 12 October 1971) is the second of the Aga Khan IV’s four children. Based in Geneva, Switzerland, he has been actively involved for many years in the governance of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN). Early ...

(born 12 October 1971) and Prince

Hussain Aga Khan Prince Hussain Aga Khan (born April 10, 1974, in Geneva, Switzerland) is the third child and second son of Aga Khan IV and his first wife, Princess Salimah Aga Khan. Early life and education He attended Deerfield Academy and subsequently Willi ...

(born 10 April 1974). Salimah Aga Khan has lived in

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

, Switzerland, since 1969.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aga Khan, Salimah 1940 births Living people British debutantes Noorani family Jewellery collectors British expatriates in Switzerland