Farouk
King of Egypt and of Sudan
Reign	April 28, 1936 – July 26, 1952
Titles	King of Egypt and the Sudan, Sovereign of Nubia, of Kordofan and of Darfur
Born	February 11, 1920
Birthplace	Cairo
Died	March 18, 1965
Place of death	Rome
Buried	Cairo
Predecessor	Fuad I
Successor	Fuad II
Consort	Safinaz Zulficar, Nariman Sadek
Issue	Princess Farial, Princess Fawzia Farouk, Princess Fadia, Fuad II
Dynasty	Muhammad Ali Dynasty
Father	Fuad I
Mother	Nazli Sabri

Farouk I of Egypt (Arabic: فاروق الأول Fārūq al-Awwal) ‎ (February 11, 1920 – March 18, 1965), was the tenth ruler from the Muhammad Ali Dynasty and the penultimate King of Egypt and Sudan, succeeding his father, Fuad I, in 1936. His sister Fawzia was Queen of Iran for 8 years. His full title was "His Majesty Farouk I, by the grace of God, King of Egypt and of Sudan, Sovereign of Nubia, of Kordofan and of Darfur." He was overthrown in the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, and was forced to abdicate in favor of his infant son Ahmed Fuad. He remained loyal to his country even after his exile. He died in Italy.

Reign

The great-great-grandson of Muhammad Ali Pasha, Farouk was of Albanian descent. Before his father's death, he was educated at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, England. Upon his coronation, the 16-year-old King Farouk made a public radio address to the nation, the first time a sovereign of Egypt had ever spoken directly to his people in such a way:

During World War II, the wealthy young King spent almost all his time discussing the hardships of the war and how to keep Egypt and its people away from the war. He played a very important role in founding the Arab League and made it show the light.

The continuing British occupation of Egypt made many Egyptians, Farouk included, positively disposed towards Germany and Italy. Despite the presence of British troops, Egypt remained officially neutral until the final year of the war. Consequently, the Italian royal servants of Farouk were not interned, and Farouk is said to have told British Ambassador Sir Miles Lampson (who had an Italian wife), "I'll get rid of my Italians, when you get rid of yours."^{citation needed} Farouk only declared war on the Axis Powers under heavy British pressure in 1945, long after the fighting in Egypt's Western Desert had ceased.

Official marriage photograph of King Farouk, taken in 1938

On July 23, 1952, the Free Officers Movement under Muhammad Naguib and Gamal Abdel Nasser staged a military coup that launched the Revolution of 1952. Farouk was forced to abdicate, and went into exile in Italy and Monaco where he lived the rest of his life. Immediately following his abdication, Farouk's baby son, Ahmed Fuad was proclaimed King Fuad II, but for all intents and purposes Egypt was now governed by Naguib, Nasser, and the Free Officers.

However, one of King Farouk's famous phrases was said to Gamal Salem, one of Naguib's best soldiers and officers. On the day of Farouk's departure, Naguib and many other soldiers were standing for farewell, and Salem was holding a stick and was full of arrogance. So Farouk (who was holding his young son Ahmed Fuad) yelled at him with his proud Royal voice saying :"Drop your stick, you're standing in front of a King," referring to his son Ahmed Fuad. And Salem dropped the stick, and Naguib apologized to Farouk.

On June 18, 1953, the revolutionary government formally abolished the monarchy, ending 150 years of rule by the Muhammad Ali dynasty, and Egypt was declared a republic.

The new regime quickly moved to auction off the king's vast collection of trinkets and treasures. Among the more famous of his possessions was a rare 1933 Double Eagle coin, though the coin disappeared before it could be returned to the United States.

Farouk was believed to have told one of his friends before the exile, "The Egyptian Revolution will say bad things about me and about the Royal Family, and lots of people will believe their lie. If you can, write about my life and say all that you know about me and prove them wrong. Say the truth so that new generations know that I wasn't a bad person. Save my good reputation from being destroyed by those soldiers."

The blue-eyed Farouk was thin early in his reign, but later gained an enormous amount of weight. His taste for fine cuisine made him dangerously obese, weighing nearly 300 pounds (136 kg). He died in Rome, Italy, on March 18, 1965. He collapsed and died at the dinner table following a characteristically heavy meal. He was buried in the Mosque of Al Rifai' in Cairo.

Affairs and marriages

King Farouk was married twice, with a claim of a third marriage. His first wife was Safinaz Zulficar (1921–1988), a pasha's daughter who was renamed Farida upon her marriage. They married in 1938, divorced in 1948, and had three daughters, HRH Princess Farial of Egypt, HRH Princess Fawzia, and HRH Princess Fadia.

His second wife was a commoner, Nariman Sadeq (1933–2005). They married in 1951 and divorced in 1954. They had one son, Ahmed Fuad II,the future King Fuad II.

Whilst in exile in Italy he met Irma Capece Minutolo, an opera singer, who became his companion. In 2005, she claimed that she married the king in 1957.^[1]

Trivia

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

The actor David Suchet modeled his mustache for detective Hercule Poirot on King Farouk's.

The 1950s' game show, Treasure Hunt, hosted by Jan Murray, had as a gag prize "a beach ball once used by King Farouk."

In 2007, the Arabic satellite channel MBC produced an Egyptian television series titled 'El Malek Farouk' about the life of Farouk. The series starred a wide array of popular and talented Egyptian actors, though the lead role was played by Syrian actor Taym Hassan. The series aired daily on MBC during Ramadan.

Marriages

King Farouk I, Queen Farida and their first-born daughter Farial ca. 1940

Farida

(Safinaz Zulficar) (1921-1988)

Children

• Farial (1938-)
• Fawzia (1940-2005)
• Fadia (1943-2002)

Nariman Sadek

(1933-2005)

Children

• Fuad II (1952-)

See also

• Muhammad Ali Dynasty
• Egyptian Revolution of 1952
• List of rulers of modern Egypt

References

1. ^ http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2005/734/sc3.htm

Uncited sources

• Pahlavi, Ashraf (1980). Faces in a Mirror, Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
• McLeave, Hugh (1969). The Last Pharaoh: Farouk of Egypt, New York : McCall Pub. Co. ISBN 0841500207.
• New King, Old Trouble, Time Magazine, Monday, May 11, 1936.
• Sadat, Jehan (1987). A Woman of Egypt, New York: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0671540713
• Stadiem, William (1991) Too Rich: The High Life and Tragic Death of King Farouk, New York: Carroll & Graf Pub. ISBN 0881846295
• Bierman, John, and Smith, Colin (2002). The Battle of Alamein: Turning Point, World War II