Prince Aly Khan
Encyclopedia
Prince Ali Solomone Aga Khan (June 13, 1911 – May 12, 1960), known as Aly Khan was a son of Aga Khan III
, the head of the Ismaili
Muslim
s, and the father of Aga Khan IV
. A socialite, racehorse owner and jockey, he was the third husband of actress Rita Hayworth
. After being passed over for succession as Aga Khan
, he served as Pakistan
's representative to the United Nations
, where he became a vice president of the General Assembly.
His first name was typically spelled Aly in the press. The titles of prince and princess, which are claimed by children of the Aga Khan by virtue of their descent from Shah Fath Ali Shah of the Persian Qajar dynasty
, were recognized as courtesy title
s by the British government in 1938.
, Italy
to a Iranian father (Aga Khan III
) and Italian mother, he was the younger son and only surviving child of the Aga Khan III
and Cleope Teresa "Ginetta" Magliano, a dancer with the Ballet Opera of Monte Carlo. He had two brothers: Prince Giuseppe Mahdi Aga Khan (who died in 1911) and, by his father's third marriage, Sadruddin Aga Khan.
Aly Khan was educated by private tutors in India and France during his childhood and later trained in England
as a lawyer.
on May 18, 1936, a few days after Joan Guinness's divorce became absolute. Before the wedding, the bride converted to Islam
and took the name Tajuddawlah .
"I had been involved with several women", he said of his playboy
period of his life, which included high-profile lovers such as the British debutante Margaret Whigham
and Thelma, Viscountess Furness, an American who was simultaneously involved with the Prince of Wales
. "I was tired of trouble. Joan was a sane and solid girl, and I thought if I married her, I would stay out of trouble."
He had been named co-respondent
in the "Guinness vs. Guinness and Khan" divorce suit, with Loel Guinness citing as evidence that his wife and the Prince had occupied a hotel room together from 17 May until 20 May 1935 and that his wife had told him that she "had formed an attachment for him and desired her husband to divorce her". The case was uncontested, and Aly Khan was ordered to pay all costs.
The couple's first child, Prince Karim
, was born in Geneva
, nine months later; they also had a second son, Prince Shujah Uddin Amyn Mohammad Aga Khan. By this marriage, he had a stepson, Patrick Guinness.
They divorced in 1949, in part due to his extramarital affairs with, among others, Pamela Churchill
. After the divorce, Joan Aly Khan (as Princess Tajudowlah was popularly known) became the longtime mistress and eventual wife of the newspaper magnate Seymour Berry, 2nd Viscount Camrose
.
and served with its cavalry division in Egypt
and the Middle East
. In 1940, he joined the Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry, becoming a lieutenant colonel in 1944. That same year, he participated in the Allied landing in the south of France with the United States Seventh Army, serving as a liaison officer with the rank of captain; for this, he was made an officer (military division) in the Legion of Honor in 1950.
He also was awarded the Croix de Guerre
and the United States Bronze Star
.
, France
, Aly Aga Khan married the American movie star Rita Hayworth
. She was then pregnant with their only child, Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, who was born seven months later. (Hayworth also brought Aly a stepdaughter, Rebecca Welles, by her previous marriage to Orson Welles
.)
At the wedding, "500 guests from the United States and Europe feasted on 50 pounds of caviar, 600 bottles of Champagne and other gourmet delights around a swimming pool scented with 200 gallons of eau de Cologne." The couple intended to have another marriage ceremony in India, but the plan was cancelled because Hayworth's pregnancy had become too obvious. Aly Khan and Rita Hayworth separated in 1951 and filed for divorce the same year; the suit was dropped in 1952. Eventually, however, the couple were divorced in April 1953, due in part to his infidelities.
, was not recognized by either Britain or France, and in 1957—by which time Hayworth had already married and divorced the singer Dick Haymes and Aly Khan had announced his intention to marry the French fashion model Bettina
-- an internationally valid Swiss divorce was granted.
The Aga Khan
protested his son's divorce from Hayworth as well as the settlement, which included $48,000 a year for the support of Princess Yasmin, saying, "Aly need not pay one penny of that, as the order applies only to Nevada." The following September saw the finalization of the divorce settlement, which was revised to include the establishment of a $1 million trust for Hayworth and the couple's three-year-old daughter, who was required to be "exposed to the teachings of the Ismaili sect of the Moslem religion when she reaches the age of 7 — the age of reason according to the Moslem religion." Until then, the child could be raised as a Christian. The settlement was increased to $1.5 million in 1954, which included trust-fund payments of $100,000 a year for 14 years for Princess Yasmin, plus $8,000 a year maintenance.
and stage
actress Gene Tierney
, whom he was engaged to marry in 1952 although his father strongly opposed the union. After a year-long engagement Tierney separated from the Prince and moved back to the U.S.
, Aly Khan's eldest son, Karim Khan, then a junior at Harvard, was named Aga Khan IV
and 49th Imam
of the Ismailis. It was the first time that the descent from father to son was circumvented in the sect's 1,300-year history.
According to the Aga Khan's will, a statement of which was presented to the press by his secretary, "In view of the fundamentally altered conditions in the world in very recent years due to the great changes that have taken place, including the discoveries of atomic science, I am convinced that it is in the best interests of the Shia Muslim Ismaili community that I should be succeeded by a young man who has been brought up and developed during recent years and in the midst of the new age, and who brings a new outlook on life to his office."
and was offered a service as the country's permanent spokesman in the United Nations, whose formal announcement was made on February 6, 1958."
As a member of the United Nations
Political and Security Committee
representing Pakistan
, Aly Khan's brief U.N. posting was viewed with surprise by many observers, some of whom considered him "the Asian-African answer to Irene Dunne
". An American movie star not known for her political skills, Dunne had recently been designated a member of the United States delegation at General Assembly, largely in recognition of her Republican
fundraising efforts.
As The New York Times
reported, "For most of the last twenty-five years Aly Khan has been busy building a name as a fabulously wealthy, hard riding, fast driving, restless man of the world with a liking for parties and beautiful women." News of Aly Khan's being named a diplomat was considered a startling enough departure in his history to result in a cover story in Sports Illustrated
.
On 19 August 1958, Aly Khan gave his first speech before the United Nations. The Washington Post noted, "Prince Ali Khan, more commonly known as Aly, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Representative to the United Nations from Pakistan, stood up in the General Assembly and made his first speech. It was a momentous occasion, since the ambassador's previous public utterances had been largely limited to shouts of, "Wine for everyone!" and "Where are the girls?"
He was elected a vice president of the United Nations General Assembly
on 17 September 1958 and also served as chairman of the U.N.'s Peace Observation Committee.
, France
, a suburb of Paris
, when the car he was driving collided with another vehicle while he and his pregnant fiancée, Bettina, were returning home from a party. He died shortly afterward at Foch Hospital (in Suresnes). Bettina survived with a minor injury to her forehead, though the shock of the accident would result in a miscarriage. The prince's chauffeur, who was in the back seat, also survived, as did the driver of the oncoming car.
Aly Khan was first buried on the grounds of Château de l'Horizon, his home in the south of France
, where it was intended that he would remain until a mausoleum was built for him in Syria. His remains were removed to Damascus
, Syria
, on July 11, 1972, and he was reinterred in Salamiyah
, Syria
.
His fortune went almost entirely to his children, though Bettina received a $280,000 bequest.
's new 1950s lyrics for Cole Porter
's 1928 song "Let's Do It, Let's Fall in Love": "Monkeys whenever you look do it / Aly Khan and King Farouk do it/Let's do it, let's fall in love."
Lucille P. Markey
, owner of Calumet Farm
Thoroughbred
racing stable in Lexington, KY, named one of her outstanding colts
, "Alydar
" in his honor because she always addressed the prince as, "Aly Darling".
Aga Khan III
Sir Sultan Muhammed Shah, Aga Khan III, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, GCVO, PC was the 48th Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims. He was one of the founders and the first president of the All-India Muslim League, and served as President of the League of Nations from 1937-38. He was nominated to represent India to...
, the head of the Ismaili
Ismaili
' is a branch of Shia Islam. It is the second largest branch of Shia Islam, after the Twelvers...
Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s, and the father of Aga Khan IV
Aga Khan IV
Prince Karim, Aga Khan IV, NPk, NI, KBE, CC, GCC, GCIH, GCM is the 49th and current Imam of the Shia Imami Nizari Ismaili Muslims. He has held this position under the title of Aga Khan since July 11, 1957, when, at the age of 20, he succeeded his grandfather, Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan...
. A socialite, racehorse owner and jockey, he was the third husband of actress Rita Hayworth
Rita Hayworth
Rita Hayworth was an American film actress and dancer who attained fame during the 1940s as one of the era's top stars...
. After being passed over for succession as Aga Khan
Aga Khan
Aga Khan is the hereditary title of the Imam of the largest branch of the Ismā'īlī followers of the Shī‘a faith. They affirm the Imamat of the descendants of Ismail ibn Jafar, eldest son of Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq, while the larger Twelver branch of Shi`ism follows Ismail's younger brother Musa...
, he served as Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
's representative to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, where he became a vice president of the General Assembly.
His first name was typically spelled Aly in the press. The titles of prince and princess, which are claimed by children of the Aga Khan by virtue of their descent from Shah Fath Ali Shah of the Persian Qajar dynasty
Qajar dynasty
The Qajar dynasty was an Iranian royal family of Turkic descent who ruled Persia from 1785 to 1925....
, were recognized as courtesy title
Courtesy title
A courtesy title is a form of address in systems of nobility used for children, former wives and other close relatives of a peer. These styles are used 'by courtesy' in the sense that the relatives do not themselves hold substantive titles...
s by the British government in 1938.
Birth and education
Born in TurinTurin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
to a Iranian father (Aga Khan III
Aga Khan III
Sir Sultan Muhammed Shah, Aga Khan III, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, GCVO, PC was the 48th Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims. He was one of the founders and the first president of the All-India Muslim League, and served as President of the League of Nations from 1937-38. He was nominated to represent India to...
) and Italian mother, he was the younger son and only surviving child of the Aga Khan III
Aga Khan III
Sir Sultan Muhammed Shah, Aga Khan III, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, GCVO, PC was the 48th Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims. He was one of the founders and the first president of the All-India Muslim League, and served as President of the League of Nations from 1937-38. He was nominated to represent India to...
and Cleope Teresa "Ginetta" Magliano, a dancer with the Ballet Opera of Monte Carlo. He had two brothers: Prince Giuseppe Mahdi Aga Khan (who died in 1911) and, by his father's third marriage, Sadruddin Aga Khan.
Aly Khan was educated by private tutors in India and France during his childhood and later trained in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
as a lawyer.
First marriage
He married as his first wife the Hon. Joan Guinness (née Yarde-Buller, 1908–1997). She was the former wife of Group Capt. Thomas "Loel" Guinness, a Member of Parliament, and a daughter of the 3rd Baron Churston. The wedding took place in ParisParis
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...
on May 18, 1936, a few days after Joan Guinness's divorce became absolute. Before the wedding, the bride converted to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
and took the name Tajuddawlah .
"I had been involved with several women", he said of his playboy
Playboy (lifestyle)
A playboy is a modern version of a public Casanova — a man of means with ample time for leisure, who demonstratively appreciates the pleasures of the world.The term has also been applied to a flashy womanizer, such as a player, pappagallo, or Don Juan....
period of his life, which included high-profile lovers such as the British debutante Margaret Whigham
Margaret Campbell, Duchess of Argyll
Margaret, sometime Duchess of Argyll , was a notorious British Socialite, best remembered for her 1963 divorce case against her second husband, the 11th Duke of Argyll, which featured salacious photographs and scandalous stories.-Birth and youth:Margaret was the only child of Helen Mann Hannay and...
and Thelma, Viscountess Furness, an American who was simultaneously involved with the Prince of Wales
Edward VIII of the United Kingdom
Edward VIII was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and Emperor of India, from 20 January to 11 December 1936.Before his accession to the throne, Edward was Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay...
. "I was tired of trouble. Joan was a sane and solid girl, and I thought if I married her, I would stay out of trouble."
He had been named co-respondent
Co-respondent
In English law, a co-respondent is, in general, a respondent to a petition, or other legal proceeding, along with another or others, or a person called upon to answer in some other way.- Divorce :...
in the "Guinness vs. Guinness and Khan" divorce suit, with Loel Guinness citing as evidence that his wife and the Prince had occupied a hotel room together from 17 May until 20 May 1935 and that his wife had told him that she "had formed an attachment for him and desired her husband to divorce her". The case was uncontested, and Aly Khan was ordered to pay all costs.
The couple's first child, Prince Karim
Aga Khan IV
Prince Karim, Aga Khan IV, NPk, NI, KBE, CC, GCC, GCIH, GCM is the 49th and current Imam of the Shia Imami Nizari Ismaili Muslims. He has held this position under the title of Aga Khan since July 11, 1957, when, at the age of 20, he succeeded his grandfather, Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan...
, was born in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, nine months later; they also had a second son, Prince Shujah Uddin Amyn Mohammad Aga Khan. By this marriage, he had a stepson, Patrick Guinness.
They divorced in 1949, in part due to his extramarital affairs with, among others, Pamela Churchill
Pamela Harriman
Pamela Beryl Harriman , also known as Pamela Churchill Harriman, was an English-born socialite who was married and linked to important and powerful men. In later life, she became a political activist for the United States Democratic Party and a diplomat...
. After the divorce, Joan Aly Khan (as Princess Tajudowlah was popularly known) became the longtime mistress and eventual wife of the newspaper magnate Seymour Berry, 2nd Viscount Camrose
Viscount Camrose
Viscount Camrose, of Hackwood Park in the County of Southampton, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 20 January 1941 for the prominent newspaper magnate William Berry, 1st Baron Camrose...
.
Military service and honors
In 1939, Prince Aly Aga Khan joined the French Foreign LegionFrench Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion is a unique military service wing of the French Army established in 1831. The foreign legion was exclusively created for foreign nationals willing to serve in the French Armed Forces...
and served with its cavalry division 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...
and the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. In 1940, he joined the Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry, becoming a lieutenant colonel in 1944. That same year, he participated in the Allied landing in the south of France with the United States Seventh Army, serving as a liaison officer with the rank of captain; for this, he was made an officer (military division) in the Legion of Honor in 1950.
He also was awarded the Croix de Guerre
Croix de guerre
The Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...
and the United States Bronze Star
Bronze Star Medal
The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...
.
Second marriage, divorce and engagement
On 27 May (civil) and 28 May (religious) 1949, in CannesCannes
Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....
, 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...
, Aly Aga Khan married the American movie star Rita Hayworth
Rita Hayworth
Rita Hayworth was an American film actress and dancer who attained fame during the 1940s as one of the era's top stars...
. She was then pregnant with their only child, Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, who was born seven months later. (Hayworth also brought Aly a stepdaughter, Rebecca Welles, by her previous marriage to Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
.)
At the wedding, "500 guests from the United States and Europe feasted on 50 pounds of caviar, 600 bottles of Champagne and other gourmet delights around a swimming pool scented with 200 gallons of eau de Cologne." The couple intended to have another marriage ceremony in India, but the plan was cancelled because Hayworth's pregnancy had become too obvious. Aly Khan and Rita Hayworth separated in 1951 and filed for divorce the same year; the suit was dropped in 1952. Eventually, however, the couple were divorced in April 1953, due in part to his infidelities.
Divorce
The U.S. divorce, which was acquired in Reno, NevadaReno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
, was not recognized by either Britain or France, and in 1957—by which time Hayworth had already married and divorced the singer Dick Haymes and Aly Khan had announced his intention to marry the French fashion model Bettina
Simone Micheline Bodin
Simone Micheline Bodin , known professionally as Bettina or Bettina Graziani, was a French fashion model of the 1940s and 1950s and an early muse to the fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy...
-- an internationally valid Swiss divorce was granted.
The Aga Khan
Aga Khan III
Sir Sultan Muhammed Shah, Aga Khan III, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, GCVO, PC was the 48th Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims. He was one of the founders and the first president of the All-India Muslim League, and served as President of the League of Nations from 1937-38. He was nominated to represent India to...
protested his son's divorce from Hayworth as well as the settlement, which included $48,000 a year for the support of Princess Yasmin, saying, "Aly need not pay one penny of that, as the order applies only to Nevada." The following September saw the finalization of the divorce settlement, which was revised to include the establishment of a $1 million trust for Hayworth and the couple's three-year-old daughter, who was required to be "exposed to the teachings of the Ismaili sect of the Moslem religion when she reaches the age of 7 — the age of reason according to the Moslem religion." Until then, the child could be raised as a Christian. The settlement was increased to $1.5 million in 1954, which included trust-fund payments of $100,000 a year for 14 years for Princess Yasmin, plus $8,000 a year maintenance.
Engagement
Among his loves were the American filmFilm
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and stage
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
actress Gene Tierney
Gene Tierney
Gene Eliza Tierney was an American film and stage actress. Acclaimed as one of the great beauties of her day, she is best remembered for her performance in the title role of Laura and her Academy Award-nominated performance for Best Actress in Leave Her to Heaven .Other notable roles include...
, whom he was engaged to marry in 1952 although his father strongly opposed the union. After a year-long engagement Tierney separated from the Prince and moved back to the U.S.
Inheritance denied
On 12 July 1957, upon the reading of the will of the Aga Khan IIIAga Khan III
Sir Sultan Muhammed Shah, Aga Khan III, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, GCVO, PC was the 48th Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims. He was one of the founders and the first president of the All-India Muslim League, and served as President of the League of Nations from 1937-38. He was nominated to represent India to...
, Aly Khan's eldest son, Karim Khan, then a junior at Harvard, was named Aga Khan IV
Aga Khan IV
Prince Karim, Aga Khan IV, NPk, NI, KBE, CC, GCC, GCIH, GCM is the 49th and current Imam of the Shia Imami Nizari Ismaili Muslims. He has held this position under the title of Aga Khan since July 11, 1957, when, at the age of 20, he succeeded his grandfather, Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan...
and 49th Imam
Imamah (Shi'a Ismaili doctrine)
The Ismaili view on the Imamah differs from the Twelver Shi'a view, in particular because the Imam in Ismailism is the Noor of God . Ismailis believe that the Noor of God is present in the Imam, and that there is only a Ẓāhirī difference between each one...
of the Ismailis. It was the first time that the descent from father to son was circumvented in the sect's 1,300-year history.
According to the Aga Khan's will, a statement of which was presented to the press by his secretary, "In view of the fundamentally altered conditions in the world in very recent years due to the great changes that have taken place, including the discoveries of atomic science, I am convinced that it is in the best interests of the Shia Muslim Ismaili community that I should be succeeded by a young man who has been brought up and developed during recent years and in the midst of the new age, and who brings a new outlook on life to his office."
United Nations posting
"In November, 1957, Aly Khan met President Iskander Mirza of PakistanPakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and was offered a service as the country's permanent spokesman in the United Nations, whose formal announcement was made on February 6, 1958."
As a member of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Political and Security Committee
Political and Security Committee
The Political and Security Committee, PSC is a permanent body within the European Union dealing with Common Foreign and Security Policy issues, including Common Security and Defence Policy.PSC, which is based in Brussels, consists of ambassadorial level representatives from the...
representing Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, Aly Khan's brief U.N. posting was viewed with surprise by many observers, some of whom considered him "the Asian-African answer to Irene Dunne
Irene Dunne
Irene Dunne was an American film actress and singer of the 1930s, 1940s and early 1950s. Dunne was nominated five times for the Academy Award for Best Actress, for her performances in Cimarron , Theodora Goes Wild , The Awful Truth , Love Affair and I Remember Mama...
". An American movie star not known for her political skills, Dunne had recently been designated a member of the United States delegation at General Assembly, largely in recognition of her Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
fundraising efforts.
As The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
reported, "For most of the last twenty-five years Aly Khan has been busy building a name as a fabulously wealthy, hard riding, fast driving, restless man of the world with a liking for parties and beautiful women." News of Aly Khan's being named a diplomat was considered a startling enough departure in his history to result in a cover story in Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
.
On 19 August 1958, Aly Khan gave his first speech before the United Nations. The Washington Post noted, "Prince Ali Khan, more commonly known as Aly, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Representative to the United Nations from Pakistan, stood up in the General Assembly and made his first speech. It was a momentous occasion, since the ambassador's previous public utterances had been largely limited to shouts of, "Wine for everyone!" and "Where are the girls?"
He was elected a vice president of the United Nations General Assembly
United Nations General Assembly
For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
on 17 September 1958 and also served as chairman of the U.N.'s Peace Observation Committee.
Death
Little more than two years after his involvement with the U.N. began, Aly Khan sustained massive head injuries in an automobile accident in SuresnesSuresnes
Suresnes is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. The nearest communes are Neuilly-sur-Seine, Puteaux, Rueil-Malmaison, Saint-Cloud and Boulogne-Billancourt...
, 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...
, a suburb of 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...
, when the car he was driving collided with another vehicle while he and his pregnant fiancée, Bettina, were returning home from a party. He died shortly afterward at Foch Hospital (in Suresnes). Bettina survived with a minor injury to her forehead, though the shock of the accident would result in a miscarriage. The prince's chauffeur, who was in the back seat, also survived, as did the driver of the oncoming car.
Aly Khan was first buried on the grounds of Château de l'Horizon, his home in the south of France
French Riviera
The Côte d'Azur, pronounced , often known in English as the French Riviera , is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France, also including the sovereign state of Monaco...
, where it was intended that he would remain until a mausoleum was built for him in Syria. His remains were removed to Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
, Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, on July 11, 1972, and he was reinterred in Salamiyah
Salamiyah
thumb|200px|A full view of Shmemis .Salamiyah is a city and district in western Syria, in the Hama Governorate. It is located 33 km southeast of Hama, 45 km northeast of Homs...
, Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
.
His fortune went almost entirely to his children, though Bettina received a $280,000 bequest.
Icon of popular culture
Due to his well-publicized romances, Prince Aly Khan was mentioned in a verse of Noel CowardNoël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward was an English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise".Born in Teddington, a suburb of London, Coward attended a dance academy...
's new 1950s lyrics for Cole Porter
Cole Porter
Cole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
's 1928 song "Let's Do It, Let's Fall in Love": "Monkeys whenever you look do it / Aly Khan and King Farouk do it/Let's do it, let's fall in love."
Lucille P. Markey
Lucille P. Markey
Lucille Parker Wright Markey was an American businesswoman and philanthropist who owned Calumet Farm, the most prestigious Thoroughbred horse farm in the United States....
, owner of Calumet Farm
Calumet Farm
Calumet Farm is a Thoroughbred breeding and training farm established in 1924 in Lexington, Kentucky, United States by William Monroe Wright, founding owner of the Calumet Baking Powder Company. Calumet is located in the heart of Lexington's blue grass country, the finest horse breeding region in...
Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
racing stable in Lexington, KY, named one of her outstanding colts
Colt (horse)
A colt is a young male horse, under the age of four. The term "colt" is often confused with foal, which refers to a horse of either sex under one year of age....
, "Alydar
Alydar
Alydar was a chestnut colt and an American thoroughbred race horse who was most famous for finishing a close second to Affirmed in all three races of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, a feat not achieved before or repeated since.-Racing career:Trained by John M...
" in his honor because she always addressed the prince as, "Aly Darling".
See also
- A Film on the Aga Khan which covers Aly Khan and the previous Aga Khan
- Aga KhanAga KhanAga Khan is the hereditary title of the Imam of the largest branch of the Ismā'īlī followers of the Shī‘a faith. They affirm the Imamat of the descendants of Ismail ibn Jafar, eldest son of Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq, while the larger Twelver branch of Shi`ism follows Ismail's younger brother Musa...