Nazli Sabri (; 25 June 1894 – 29 May 1978) was the first

queen consort A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king, and usually shares her spouse's social Imperial, royal and noble ranks, rank and status. She holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles and may be crowned and anointed, but hi ...

in the

Kingdom of Egypt The Kingdom of Egypt () was the legal form of the Egyptian state during the latter period of the Muhammad Ali dynasty's reign, from the United Kingdom's recognition of Egyptian independence in 1922 until the abolition of the monarchy of Eg ...

from 1919 to 1936. She was the second wife of

King Fuad I Fuad I ( ''Fu’ād al-Awwal''; 26 March 1868 – 28 April 1936) was the Sultan and later King of Egypt and the Sudan. The ninth ruler of Egypt and Sudan from the Muhammad Ali dynasty, he became Sultan in 1917, succeeding his elder brother Huss ...

Early life

Nazli was born on 25 June 1894 to an

Egyptian ''Egyptian'' describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of year ...

father and a mother of Turkish,

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

and

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

origin. Her father was

Abdel Rahim Sabri Pasha Abdel Rahim Sabri Pasha (died 26 August 1930, ) was the governor of Cairo from 1917 until 1919 and served as the minister of Agriculture. He was the father of Queen Nazli. Biography His father was Hussein Sabri, who served as a governor in mult ...

, Minister of Agriculture and Governor of

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

, and her mother was Tawfika Sharif

Hanim Khanum, Hanum, Hanım, Hanem, Khanom, or Khanoum (Uzbek language, Uzbek: Xonim/Хоним, , Mongolian language, Mongolian: Ханым, , , , , , , ) is a female royal family, royal and aristocracy, aristocratic title that was originally derived t ...

. Nazli had two brothers:

Sherif Sabri Pasha Sherif Sabri Pasha (, ), born in Cairo in 1895, was the brother of Nazli Sabri, Queen consort of Egypt. He was thus the maternal uncle of Nazli's son King Farouk I, and served on the three-member Regency Council that was formed in 1936-37 during ...

and

Hussein Sabri Pasha Hussein Sabri Pasha () was an influential figure who served as the governor of Alexandria from 1925 until 1937 and was the brother of Queen Nazli. Biography His father was Abdel Rahim Sabri Pasha, Minister of Agriculture and Governor of Cair ...

, and two sisters: Amina Sabri and Nawal Sabri. She was the maternal granddaughter of Major General

Mohamed Sherif Pasha Mohamed Sherif Pasha GCSI (February 1826 – 20 April 1887) () was an Egyptian statesman. He served as Prime Minister of Egypt three times during his career. His first term was between 7 April 1879 and 18 August 1879. His second term was served ...

, prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, who was of Turkish origin. She was also a great-granddaughter of the French-born officer Suleiman Pasha. Nazli first went to the Lycée de la Esclave-de-Dieu in Cairo, and later to the Collège Notre-Dame de Sion in

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

. Following the death of her mother, she and her sister were sent to a boarding school in Paris for two years. After returning, Nazli was forced to marry her cousin, Khalil Sabri. However, the marriage ended in divorce after eleven months. After the separation, she stayed at the house of

Safiya Zaghloul Safiya Zaghloul ( / ; ; 1878–12 January 1946) was an Egyptian political activist. She was among the early leaders of the Wafd Party. Background Zaghloul was born in 1878. Her father, Mostafa Fahmy Pasha, was the seventh prime minister of Eg ...

, where she met Zaghloul's nephew Saeed Zaghloul; the two were engaged until Saeed broke up with her during his exile with his uncle

Saad Zaghloul Saad Zaghloul Pasha ( / ; also ''Sa'd Zaghloul Pasha ibn Ibrahim'') (July 1857 – 23 August 1927) was an Egyptian revolutionary and statesman. He was the leader of Egypt's nationalist Wafd Party, and served as the first Honorary President of ...

following the 1919 revolution.

Queen

The official Nazli Sabri birthday picture

The

Sultan of Egypt Sultan of Egypt was the status held by the rulers of Egypt after the establishment of the Ayyubid dynasty of Saladin in 1174 until the Ottoman conquest of Egypt in 1517. Though the extent of the Egyptian Sultanate ebbed and flowed, it generally ...

Fuad I Fuad I ( ''Fu’ād al-Awwal''; 26 March 1868 – 28 April 1936) was the Sultan and later King of Egypt and the Sudan. The ninth ruler of Egypt and Sudan from the Muhammad Ali dynasty, he became Sultan in 1917, succeeding his elder brother Hus ...

, first saw Nazli at an opera performance. On 12 May 1919, Fuad proposed to her, although he was 26 years her senior. On 24 May 1919 Nazli married Sultan Fuad I at Bustan Palace, Cairo. It was the second marriage for both Nazli and Fuad. She later moved to the ''haramlek'' in the Abbasiya Palace. She was under pressure from her husband to produce a son, and was warned that she would be confined to the haremlek if she did not do so. After the birth of their only son,

Farouk Farooq (also transliterated as Farouk, Faruqi, Farook, Faruk, Faroeq, Faruq, or Farouq, Farooqi, Faruque or Farooqui; ) is a common Arabic given and family name. ''Al-Fārūq'' literally means "the one who distinguishes between right and wrong." ...

, Nazli was allowed to move into Koubbeh Palace, the official royal residence, with her husband. When Fuad's title was altered to

King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

, she was given the title of Queen. She then had four daughters: Fawzia,

Faiza Faiza () is a female Arabic name meaning "successful, victorious, beneficial". Variants include: Faizah, Faiza, Fayzah, Fayza, Feyza, Faeyza, Faeyzah, Faihza, Faaiza, Faaizah, Fiza, Faisa, Fayeza, Fayiza, Faeeza; and related to the male names Fa ...

, Faika, and Fathia. Restricted to the palace throughout most of Fuad's reign, Nazli was permitted to attend opera performances, flower shows, and other ladies-only cultural events. As her upbringing had left her remarkably educated, cultured and emancipated for an Egyptian woman of the time, she found this prescribed existence backward and stifling. Nazli accompanied the king during part of his four-month tour of

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

in 1927, and was much fêted in France because of her French ancestry. With the inauguration of Parliament in 1924, she was among the royal attendees at the opening ceremony, seated in a special section of the guest gallery.

Later years

Following the death of King Fuad in 1936, Nazli's son Farouk became the new King of Egypt, and she became the

queen mother A queen mother is a former queen, often a queen dowager, who is the mother of the monarch, reigning monarch. The term has been used in English since the early 1560s. It arises in hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarchies in Europe and is also ...

. Her brother Sherif Sabri Pasha served on the three-member

Regency Council In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

that was formed during Farouk's minority. In 1946, Nazli left Egypt and went to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

for treatment for a kidney ailment. On 13 September 1950 King Farouk deprived the Queen Mother, and her daughter Princess Fathia of their rights and titles. This was due to latter's marriage, which Nazli supported, but was against Farouk's wishes, to

Riyad Ghali Riyad Ghali (born Riyad Bishay Ghali; 11 February 191912 July 1987) was the husband of Fathia Ghali the youngest daughter of King Fuad I and Nazli Sabri. Marriage, divorce and death While in the United States, Riad Ghali married Princess Fathi ...

Effendi, a

Coptic Christian Copts (; ) are a Christian ethnoreligious group native to Northeast Africa who have primarily inhabited the area of modern Egypt since antiquity. They are, like the broader Egyptian population, descended from the ancient Egyptians. Copts pre ...

. Nazli later converted to

Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

, changing her name to Mary-Elizabeth. In 1955 Nazli purchased, for $63,000, a 28-room mansion in Beverley Hills, where she lived with Fathia, her son-in-law, and their two children, and led an active social life. In 1965, Nazli attended the funeral of Farouk, in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. Following Fathia's divorce, Nazli moved to a small apartment in

Westwood, Los Angeles Westwood is a commercial and residential neighborhood in the northern central portion of the Westside (Los Angeles County), Westside region of the city of Los Angeles, California. It is the home of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCL ...

, where Fathia eventually joined her after temporarily moving to Hawaii.Goodkind, Mike "Ex-princess loses last of fortune", The Free Lance Star, 21 September 1976 To meet debt demands, in 1975 Nazli sent her principal jewellery to auction at

Sotheby's Sotheby's ( ) is a British-founded multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine art, fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, an ...

, including a magnificent art deco tiara (720 diamonds weighing 274 carats) and matching necklace commissioned in 1938 from

Van Cleef & Arpels Van Cleef & Arpels is a French luxury jewelry company. It was founded in 1896 by the Dutch diamond-cutter Alfred Van Cleef and his father-in-law Salomon Arpels in Paris. Their pieces often feature flowers, animals and fairies. History The ...

. They sold for $127,500 and $140,000 respectively. However, Nazli and Fathia still ended up in bankruptcy court. In 1978, Fathia's jewellery was also sold to meet debts. In 1976, President of Egypt,

Anwar Sadat Muhammad Anwar es-Sadat (25 December 1918 – 6 October 1981) was an Egyptian politician and military officer who served as the third president of Egypt, from 15 October 1970 until Assassination of Anwar Sadat, his assassination by fundame ...

, sent a proposal to Queen Nazli and Princess Fathia that passports would be provided to Queen Nazli and Princess Fathia to give them right of return to Egypt. Eventually she settled in the US, due to her painful illness. She died on 29 May 1978 at the age of 83 in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

Legacy

Queen Nazli's art deco necklace reappeared at a

sale in December 2015. The Queen ordered the

necklace along with a matching tiara for her daughter's (Fawzia) wedding. The necklace is formed by 600 round and baguette diamonds arranged in a sunburst motif.

Titles and styles

*26 May 1919 – 15 March 1922: ''Her Gloriness'' The Sultana *15 March 1922 – 18 January 1938: ''Her Majesty'' The Queen *18 January 1938 – 8 August 1950: ''Her Majesty'' Queen Nazli

In popular culture

In 2007, Queen Nazli was played by Egyptian actress Wafaa Amer in the Drama "El-malek Farouk". In 2008, Rawia Rashed published a book about Queen Nazli, titled ''Nazli, Malika Fi El Manfa'' (''Nazli, A Queen in Exile''). Based on this book, an Egyptian TV series provided an account for the life of Queen Nazli, Queen in Exile, starring Egyptian actress

Nadia Al-Gindi Nadia Elgendi (Also written as Nadia El Gendi; ) (born 1946 in Khta Alexandria) is an Egyptian actress and Film producer, producer. She is often known in Egypt as ''"Negmet El gamaheer"'' (the star of masses) because of the high commercial succe ...

in 2010.

References

Bibliography

External links

Egyptian Royalty
by Ahmed S. Kamel, Hassan Kamel Kelisli-Morali, Georges Soliman and Magda Malek.
L'Egypte D'Antan... Egypt in Bygone Days
by Max Karkegi. , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Sabri, Nazli 20th-century Egyptian people 20th-century Egyptian women 1894 births 1978 deaths Burials at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City Converts to Roman Catholicism from Sunni Islam Egyptian emigrants to the United States Egyptian former Sunni Muslims Egyptian people of French descent Egyptian people of Turkish descent Egyptian people of Greek descent Queens consort of Egypt Egyptian Roman Catholics Wives of Muhammad Ali dynasty monarchs People from Alexandria African queen mothers