Egypt's current development financing portfolio hits approx. $28b    Russia's private sector activity contracts in September '24    Egypt's CBE auctions EGP 10b fixed coupon T-bonds    Electricity Minister explores partnership with Siemens Energy for emissions reduction    Madaar announces expansion plans, exclusive offers at Cityscape Egypt 2024    US to award $100m to advance AI in semiconductor manufacturing    8 Israeli soldiers killed in Hezbollah ambushes in Lebanon    Rapid regional developments impact economy: Prime Minister    Egypt's Environment Minister reviews updates of 'Safe Haven' project in Fayoum    SCZone Chairperson promotes zone's investment opportunities in Marseille    WhatsApp Introduces Filters and Backgrounds for Video Calls    Cairo Urban Week Kicks Off October 27: A Celebration of Sustainability, Art, and Urban Development    Egypt's Environment Minister addresses local, regional sustainable energy challenges    Egypt, France discuss boosting cooperation in health sector    Korea Culture Week wraps up at Cairo Opera House    Spain's La Brindadora Roja, Fanika dance troupes participate in She Arts Festival    Colombia unveils $40b investment plan for climate transition    EU pledges €260m to Gavi, boosts global vaccination efforts    China, S. Korea urge closer ties amid global turmoil    ABK-Egypt staff volunteer in medical convoys for children in Al-Beheira    Egypt's Endowments Ministry allocates EGP50m in interest-free loans    Kabaddi: Ancient Indian sport gaining popularity in Egypt    Ecuador's drought forces further power cuts    Al-Sisi orders sports system overhaul after Paris Olympics    Basketball Africa League Future Pros returns for 2nd season    Egypt joins Africa's FEDA    Egypt condemns Ethiopia's unilateral approach to GERD filling in letter to UNSC    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Egypt's FM, Kenya's PM discuss strengthening bilateral ties, shared interests    Paris Olympics opening draws record viewers    Former Egyptian Intelligence Chief El-Tohamy Dies at 77    Who leads the economic portfolios in Egypt's new Cabinet?    Financial literacy becomes extremely important – EGX official    UNESCO celebrates World Arabic Language Day    Motaz Azaiza mural in Manchester tribute to Palestinian journalists    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Egypt's unique royal
Published in The Egyptian Gazette on 19 - 01 - 2010

A book written in Arabic by Egyptian artist Lotus Abdel-Karim, sheds more light on the life of the former Queen of Egypt, Farida, the first wife of King Farouk.
According to Lotus, Farida, at the age of 16, married the young Farouk in 1938, after a brief love story that started during a royal visit to Europe.
But their marriage foundered and fizzled out completely in 1948, because the young queen failed to produce a male heir to the throne and because of Farouk's many Egyptian and foreign mistresses, according to Lotus' book Egypt's Farida.
The divorce aroused great antipathy in Egypt because of Farida's youth and beauty and because the King was regarded as the personification of the corrupt old order, the author, a close friend of the former Queen, wrote.
"The marriage might have continued happily, if only Farida had had a son. Three times during the next few years, the bells were rung for a royal birth, but each time it was a girl," the book says.
After Egypt's 1952 Revolution, which toppled Farouk, the former Queen lived most of her life in Lebanon and Paris with her daughters: Ferial, Fawzia and Fadia.
Anwar el-Sadat became Egypt's President after Gamal Abdel-Nasser died in 1970, and Farida, an artist and the niece of renowned Egyptian artist Mahmoud Saeed, returned to Egypt four years later, where she lived in the southern Cairo quarter of Maadi.
She never remarried and died of leukaemia on October 17, 1988, aged 68. She was buried in Egypt, as she had always wished.
According to book, when Farouk asked his political advisers' permission to divorce her, they advised him to wait because she had sworn to remarry and, if she had a son by another man, that would embarrass him as the King.
"He waited. But he could wait no longer. He divorced her, despite the advice he'd been given," Lotus wrote.
Many Egyptians, who loved Farida, said that the divorce hastened Farouk's fall from grace.
In her small Maadi apartment, the late Queen chose to live in seclusion, away from the media and governmental officials, who offered her a helping hand, which she always proudly refused, Lotus writes.
Because she adored painting, Farida (Arabic for ‘Unique'), became an accomplished artist who sold her works, the main themes being Egyptian landscapes, to Gulf sheikhs, the book says.
Queen Farida never regretted the fact that she ended her life as a common citizen.
"She had artistic interests like painting, which gave her fresh purpose as she sought a profession to cover her expenses without help from anyone," Lotus explains.
Farida, a courageous and resourceful woman who was loved and respected by her fellow Egyptians, removed her crown and picked up her brush to create lovely paintings that showed how much she loved her country.


Clic here to read the story from its source.