Narriman Sadek
Encyclopedia
Narriman Sadek (31 October 1933 – 16 February 2005) was the daughter of Hussain Fahmi Sadiq Bey, a high-ranking official in the Egypt
ian government, and his wife Asila Kamil; she was the second wife of King Farouk and the last Queen of Egypt.
, in 1948, after a ten-year marriage in which she had produced three daughters, but no male heir. In a bid to ensure his succession, and also to rekindle some public enthusiasm towards a decaying dynasty, he let it be known that he was in the market for a new bride, preferably an Egyptian, well-heeled but not of the aristocracy.
Known as the "Cinderella of the Nile" for her middle class background, Nariman was selected in part as a populist gesture to prop up public opinion of the monarchy. She broke off her previous engagement to a Harvard doctoral student named Zaki Hashem and was sent to Egypt's embassy in Rome to learn how to perform her royal duties. While in Rome she assumed the identity of the ambassador's niece in order to hide the purpose of her presence. At the embassy she studied history, etiquette, and four European languages. Also, as a consequence of the king's order that she return to Egypt weighing at most 110 pounds, she was put on a strict weight-loss program. In May 1951, at the age of 17, she married Farouk, thus becoming Egypt's queen. The couple's wedding was lavish and extravagant. Nariman wore a bridal gown embroidered with 20,000 diamonds, and the two received many expensive presents. Those presents that were made of gold were subsequently secretly melted down into ingots.
On 16 January 1952, Narriman gave birth to their only son, Ahmed Fuad
. Later that year, Farouk was forced to abdicate by the Egyptian Revolution of 1952. He was succeeded by his infant son, who assumed the throne as King Fuad II
. Fuad's largely symbolic reign was cut short, however, with the establishment of a republic
the following year.
(aboard the royal yacht "El-Mahrousa"); in March 1953. Bored with the itinerant lifestyle and tired of Farouk's philandering, Narriman returned to Egypt with her mother, to her former position as a commoner. She and Farouk divorced on 2 February 1954.
On 3 May 1954 she married Dr. Adham al-Nakib of Alexandria
, who had been Farouk's personal physician. They had one son, Akram, and subsequently divorced in 1961.
In 1967 she married Ismail Fahmi, another medical practitioner. She lived in seclusion in the Cairo
suburb of Heliopolis
until her death.
hospital, on the outskirts of Cairo
, Egypt
, after a brain hemorrhage. Her last years were spent in seclusion in an apartment in Cairo's upscale Heliopolis
neighborhood, where she lived with her husband, Dr. Fahmi.
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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...
ian government, and his wife Asila Kamil; she was the second wife of King Farouk and the last Queen of Egypt.
Meeting Farouk
Farouk divorced his first wife, Queen FaridaFarida of Egypt
Queen Farida, born Safinaz Zulficar was the Queen consort of Egypt and the first wife of King Farouk.-Personal life:...
, in 1948, after a ten-year marriage in which she had produced three daughters, but no male heir. In a bid to ensure his succession, and also to rekindle some public enthusiasm towards a decaying dynasty, he let it be known that he was in the market for a new bride, preferably an Egyptian, well-heeled but not of the aristocracy.
Marriage to King Farouk
On 16 January 1952, Narriman gave birth to their only son, Ahmed Fuad
Fuad II of Egypt
Fuad II was the last King of Egypt and Sudan.- Biography :He ascended the throne on 26 July 1952 upon the abdication of his father King Farouk I following the Egyptian Revolution of 1952...
. Later that year, Farouk was forced to abdicate by the Egyptian Revolution of 1952. He was succeeded by his infant son, who assumed the throne as King Fuad II
Fuad II of Egypt
Fuad II was the last King of Egypt and Sudan.- Biography :He ascended the throne on 26 July 1952 upon the abdication of his father King Farouk I following the Egyptian Revolution of 1952...
. Fuad's largely symbolic reign was cut short, however, with the establishment of a republic
Republic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
the following year.
Divorce
Following Farouk's abdication, the royal family went into exileExile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
(aboard the royal yacht "El-Mahrousa"); in March 1953. Bored with the itinerant lifestyle and tired of Farouk's philandering, Narriman returned to Egypt with her mother, to her former position as a commoner. She and Farouk divorced on 2 February 1954.
On 3 May 1954 she married Dr. Adham al-Nakib of Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
, who had been Farouk's personal physician. They had one son, Akram, and subsequently divorced in 1961.
In 1967 she married Ismail Fahmi, another medical practitioner. She lived in seclusion in the Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
suburb of Heliopolis
Heliopolis (Cairo Suburb)
Modern Heliopolis is a district in Cairo, Egypt. The city was established in 1905 by the Heliopolis Oasis Company, headed by the Belgian industrialist Édouard Louis Joseph, Baron Empain, as well as Boghos Nubar, son of the Egyptian Prime Minister Nubar Pasha.-History:The Baron Empain, a well known...
until her death.
Death
Nariman Fahmi died on 16 February 2005 in Dar al-FouadDar al-Fouad
Dar Al-Fouad is a hospital in Giza, Egypt, on the outskirts of Cairo. It offers cardiothoracic surgery, cardiology, oncology, organ transplant, and orthopedic departments....
hospital, on the outskirts of Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, 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...
, after a brain hemorrhage. Her last years were spent in seclusion in an apartment in Cairo's upscale Heliopolis
Heliopolis (Cairo Suburb)
Modern Heliopolis is a district in Cairo, Egypt. The city was established in 1905 by the Heliopolis Oasis Company, headed by the Belgian industrialist Édouard Louis Joseph, Baron Empain, as well as Boghos Nubar, son of the Egyptian Prime Minister Nubar Pasha.-History:The Baron Empain, a well known...
neighborhood, where she lived with her husband, Dr. Fahmi.
External links
- Queen Narriman's Official website
- 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.
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