Leila Pahlavi
Encyclopedia
Princess Leila Pahlavi (27 March 1970 – 10 June 2001), born in Tehran
, Iran
was the youngest daughter of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Shah of Iran
, and his third wife, Farah Pahlavi
.
.
. Following her father's death in Egypt
from non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 1980, the family settled in the United States
. She graduated from Rye Country Day School in 1988 and went on to attend a state school in Massachusetts before going on to study at Brown University
, graduating in 1992.
Pahlavi never married and spent most of her time commuting between her home in Greenwich, Connecticut
, and Paris
where her mother lives. A onetime model for the designer Valentino, she suffered from anorexia nervosa
, chronic low self-esteem, severe depression
and chronic fatigue syndrome
. She spent much of her time being treated in clinics in the United States and Britain. The princess is reported to have spent much of her last year staying at the Leonard Hotel in London paying £450 a night for her favourite suite. The hotel's manager, Angela Stoppani, is quoted in The Daily Telegraph as saying the princess went to the hotel to "chill out".
just before 1930BST by her doctor. She was found to have more than five times the lethal dose of quinalbarbitone, a barbiturate
, which is used to treat insomnia
, in her system, along with a nonlethal amount of cocaine
. She was found in bed, her body emaciated by years of anorexia, bulimia and food intolerances. According to a report on her death, which included information from an autopsy conducted by the Westminster Coroner's Court, she stole the quinalbarbitone from her doctor's desk during an appointment and was addicted to the drug, typically taking 40 pills at once, rather than the prescribed two.
On 17 June 2001, she was buried near her maternal grandmother, Farideh Ghotbi Diba, in the Cimetière de Passy, Paris
, France
. At the funeral was her mother, the former queen Farah, as well as members of the former French royal family and Frederic Mitterrand, the nephew of the late French President Francois Mitterrand.
On 4 January 2011, her brother Ali-Reza Pahlavi was found dead at his home in Boston, Massachusetts from an apparent suicide.
The immediate Iranian royal family now consists of the former Queen, Farah Pahlavi
; a son, Reza
; a daughter, Farahnaz
; and the princess's half sister, Shahnaz
.
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
was the youngest daughter of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Shah of Iran
Pahlavi dynasty
The Pahlavi dynasty consisted of two Iranian/Persian monarchs, father and son Reza Shah Pahlavi and Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi The Pahlavi dynasty consisted of two Iranian/Persian monarchs, father and son Reza Shah Pahlavi (reg. 1925–1941) and Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi The Pahlavi dynasty ...
, and his third wife, Farah Pahlavi
Farah Pahlavi
Farah Pahlavi is the former Queen and Empress of Iran. She is the widow of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, and only Empress of modern Iran...
.
Early life
Leila was born on 27 March 1970 in Tehran. She was the fourth child of the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and the Empress Farah PahlaviFarah Pahlavi
Farah Pahlavi is the former Queen and Empress of Iran. She is the widow of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, and only Empress of modern Iran...
.
In Exile
She was nine years old when her family was forced into exile as a result of the Iranian RevolutionIranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution refers to events involving the overthrow of Iran's monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and its replacement with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the...
. Following her father's death in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
from non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 1980, the family settled in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. She graduated from Rye Country Day School in 1988 and went on to attend a state school in Massachusetts before going on to study at Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, graduating in 1992.
Pahlavi never married and spent most of her time commuting between her home in Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 61,171. It is home to many hedge funds and other financial service companies. Greenwich is the southernmost and westernmost municipality in Connecticut and is 38+ minutes ...
, and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
where her mother lives. A onetime model for the designer Valentino, she suffered from anorexia nervosa
Anorexia nervosa
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by refusal to maintain a healthy body weight and an obsessive fear of gaining weight. Although commonly called "anorexia", that term on its own denotes any symptomatic loss of appetite and is not strictly accurate...
, chronic low self-esteem, severe depression
Clinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
and chronic fatigue syndrome
Chronic fatigue syndrome
Chronic fatigue syndrome is the most common name used to designate a significantly debilitating medical disorder or group of disorders generally defined by persistent fatigue accompanied by other specific symptoms for a minimum of six months, not due to ongoing exertion, not substantially...
. She spent much of her time being treated in clinics in the United States and Britain. The princess is reported to have spent much of her last year staying at the Leonard Hotel in London paying £450 a night for her favourite suite. The hotel's manager, Angela Stoppani, is quoted in The Daily Telegraph as saying the princess went to the hotel to "chill out".
Death
On Sunday 10 June 2001, Leila was found dead in her room in the Leonard Hotel in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
just before 1930BST by her doctor. She was found to have more than five times the lethal dose of quinalbarbitone, a barbiturate
Barbiturate
Barbiturates are drugs that act as central nervous system depressants, and can therefore produce a wide spectrum of effects, from mild sedation to total anesthesia. They are also effective as anxiolytics, as hypnotics, and as anticonvulsants...
, which is used to treat insomnia
Insomnia
Insomnia is most often defined by an individual's report of sleeping difficulties. While the term is sometimes used in sleep literature to describe a disorder demonstrated by polysomnographic evidence of disturbed sleep, insomnia is often defined as a positive response to either of two questions:...
, in her system, along with a nonlethal amount of cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
. She was found in bed, her body emaciated by years of anorexia, bulimia and food intolerances. According to a report on her death, which included information from an autopsy conducted by the Westminster Coroner's Court, she stole the quinalbarbitone from her doctor's desk during an appointment and was addicted to the drug, typically taking 40 pills at once, rather than the prescribed two.
On 17 June 2001, she was buried near her maternal grandmother, Farideh Ghotbi Diba, in the Cimetière de Passy, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. At the funeral was her mother, the former queen Farah, as well as members of the former French royal family and Frederic Mitterrand, the nephew of the late French President Francois Mitterrand.
On 4 January 2011, her brother Ali-Reza Pahlavi was found dead at his home in Boston, Massachusetts from an apparent suicide.
The immediate Iranian royal family now consists of the former Queen, Farah Pahlavi
Farah Pahlavi
Farah Pahlavi is the former Queen and Empress of Iran. She is the widow of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, and only Empress of modern Iran...
; a son, Reza
Reza Pahlavi
Reza Pahlavi may refer to:*Reza Shah , aka Reza Shah Pahlavi, Shah of Persia from 1925 until 1935 and Shah of Iran from 1935 until 1941* Mohammad Reza Pahlavi , Shah of Iran from 1941 to 1979, son of Reza Shah...
; a daughter, Farahnaz
Farahnaz Pahlavi
Princess Farahnaz Pahlavi is the eldest daughter of the late Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran by his third wife, Empress Farah Diba....
; and the princess's half sister, Shahnaz
Shahnaz Pahlavi
Princess Shahnaz Pahlavi is the first child of the late Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and his first wife, Princess Fawzia of Egypt.A former Princess of Iran, she was born in Tehran but since the Iranian revolution has lived in Switzerland....
.