Gholamreza Pahlavi

Shahpur Gholamreza Pahlavi (Persian: غلامرضا پهلوی‎‎) (born 15 May 1923) is the son of Rezā Shāh and half-brother of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. He is a member of the Pahlavi dynasty. Following the death of his half-sister Ashraf Pahlavi on 7 January 2016, Gholamreza became the only living child of Reza Pahlavi. He is now settled in Paris with his family.

Early life and education

Pahlavi was born on 15 May 1923. He is the fifth child and third son of Reza Shah, the founder of the Pahlavi dynasty in Iran. His mother, Turan (Qamar al Molouk) Amir Soleimani, was related to the ancient Qajar dynasty deposed in 1925 in favor of Reza Shah. More specifically, she was the daughter of a Qajar dignitary, Issa Majd al Saltaneh. She was also the granddaughter of Mehdi Qoli Majde Dowleh, Naser al Din Shah's maternal uncle. Gholamreza's parents were married in 1922 and divorced shortly after his birth in 1923.

He received primary education in Iran and then went to Switzerland for secondary education. In 1936, he returned to Iran and attended the military school. He accompanied his father, Reza Shah, in his exile in Mauritius when he was forced to abdicate in September 1941. In the aftermath of Reza Shah's abdication, the British and Russian envoys attempted to put Gholamreza on the throne bypassing then Crown Prince Mohammad Reza when their efforts to end the Pahlavi dynasty and then to reinstate the Qajar dynasty failed. It, however, also did not work.

Gholamreza graduated from Princeton University. Upon returning to Iran, he attended military officers' training college, graduating as a brigadier general.

Career and activities

Pahlavi began his career in the Iran's armed forces. He served as inspector general of the armed forces. After holding different positions in the army he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general in 1973.

In 1955, he became a member of the International Olympic Committee. He also served as president of the Iranian National Olympic Committee. He was a member of the Royal Council which ruled Iran during the international visits of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

Between 5 and 13 December 1973 he and his wife officially visited China just before the first Iranian ambassador, Abbas Aram, began to serve in the country. Pahlavi, as the president of the Iranian national olympic committee, supported China's objection of Taiwan's participation in the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games. However, he was not very active in domestic political life.

During the reign of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, he owned lands in Iran and was the holder of large shares in six firms.

Personal life and later years

Pahlavi first married Homa Aalam on 4 April 1947 in Tehran. They had a daughter, Mehrnaz (born 4 February 1949), and a son, Bahman (born 30 January 1950). They divorced in 1956 and he married to Manijeh Jahanbani in Tehran on 6 March 1962. Jahanbani is a Qajar princess. They have two daughters and a son.

Pahlavi left Iran before the 1979 revolution together with other relatives. He settled in Paris. In the immediate aftermath of the revolution, Ayatollah Sadegh Khalkhali, a religious judge and then chairman of the Revolutionary Court, informed the press that the death sentence was passed on the members of the Pahlavi family, including Gholam Reza, and former Shah officials.

Book

Pahlavi published a book, Mon père, mon frère, les Shahs d'Iran, in 2005, dealing with both his experience and thoughts about the future of Iran. The book was published in French and Persian.

Honours

National honours

• Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Pahlavi.
• Order of Glory.
• Order of Military Merit, 2nd class.
• Order of Honour, 2nd class.
• Order of Rashtakhiz, 1st class.
• National Uprising Medal [28th Amordad 1332 Medal] (1953).
• Imperial Coronation Medal (26 October 1967).

Foreign honours

• Order of the Supreme Sun, 1st Class (Kingdom of Afghanistan).
• Knight Grand Cross of Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic (Kingdom of Spain, 1978).
• King Birendra Coronation Medal (Kingdom of Nepal, 24 February 1975).