Princess Yasmin Aga Khan (born December 28, 1949) is a Swiss-born American

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

known for raising public awareness of

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As ...

. She is the second child of American movie actress and dancer

Rita Hayworth Rita Hayworth (born Margarita Carmen Cansino; October 17, 1918May 14, 1987) was an American actress, dancer and producer. She achieved fame during the 1940s as one of the era's top stars, appearing in 61 films over 37 years. The press coined th ...

, and the third child 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, ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

's representative to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoni ...

from February 1958 until his death in 1960. Her paternal half-brother is Prince Karim al-Husayni, the fourth and current

Aga Khan Aga Khan ( fa, آقاخان, ar, آغا خان; also transliterated as ''Aqa Khan'' and ''Agha Khan'') is a title held by the Imām of the Nizari Ismāʿīli Shias. Since 1957, the holder of the title has been the 49th Imām, Prince Shah Kari ...

Early life

Yasmin was born at Clinique de Montchoisi in

Lausanne , neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, Khan spent her early life with her mother and her maternal half-sister, Rebecca Welles Manning (1944–2004), daughter of Hayworth's marriage to

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...

. Her half brothers are His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV and Prince Amyn Aga Khan. She attended Buxton School, a small boarding school in Williamstown,

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

, and the

International School of Geneva The International School of Geneva (in French: ''Ecole Internationale de Genève''), also known as "Ecolint" or "The International School", is a private, non-profit international school based in Geneva, Switzerland. Founded in 1924 in the servic ...

. In 1973, she graduated from

Bennington College Bennington College is a private liberal arts college in Bennington, Vermont. Founded in 1932 as a women's college, it became co-educational in 1969. It claims to be the first college to include visual and performing arts as an equal partner in ...

in the United States and was originally interested in opera singing.

Philanthropic activities

Influenced by the death of her mother, for whom she cared for many years, from

, Yasmin Aga Khan serves on the board of directors, as vice chairman, Alzheimer's and Related Disorders Association. She is also the president of Alzheimer's Disease International, a National Council Member of the

Salk Institute The Salk Institute for Biological Studies is a scientific research institute located in the La Jolla community of San Diego, California, U.S. The independent, non-profit institute was founded in 1960 by Jonas Salk, the developer of the polio vacci ...

, and a spokesperson for the

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original cam ...

School of Medicine, Board of Visitors. She also serves on numerous boards of the

Aga Khan Foundation The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) is a private, not-for-profit international development agency, which was founded in 1967 by Shah Karim Al Hussaini, Aga Khan IV, the 49th Hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims. AKF seeks to provide long-term ...

. The 2009 documentary ''

I Remember Better When I Paint ''I Remember Better When I Paint'' is a feature length international documentary film about the positive impact of art and other creative therapies in people with Alzheimer's disease and how these approaches can change the way the disease is vi ...

'' features a stirring interview with Yasmin Aga Khan describing how her mother took up painting while struggling with Alzheimer's and produced beautiful works of art.

Personal life

She married her first husband, Basil Embiricos, in 1985. The couple had a son, Andrew Ali Aga Khan Embiricos who was born in 1986. The Princess and Embiricos were divorced in 1987. Andrew died in his Chelsea, Manhattan, apartment on December 4, 2011. He was 25. She married her second husband, Christopher Michael Jeffries, in 1989.

References

External links

Alzheimer's Association Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aga Khan, Yasmin 1949 births Living people Swiss emigrants to the United States Bennington College alumni People from Lausanne Qajar dynasty American socialites Noorani family Buxton School (Massachusetts) alumni International School of Geneva alumni Cansino family Swiss people of Iranian descent Swiss people of Pakistani descent Swiss people of Italian descent Swiss people of Romani descent Swiss people of Spanish descent Swiss people of Irish descent Swiss people of English descent