Farida | |||||
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Queen consort of Egypt | |||||
Tenure | 20 January 1938 – 17 November 1948 | ||||
Born |
Alexandria, Egypt |
5 September 1921||||
Died | 16 October 1988 Maadi, Cairo, Egypt |
(aged 67)||||
Spouse | Farouk of Egypt (m. 1938; div. 1948) |
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Issue |
Princess Ferial Princess Fawzia Princess Fadia |
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House |
House of Muhammad Ali (by marriage) |
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Father | Youssef Zulficar Pasha | ||||
Mother | Zainab Sa'id | ||||
Religion | Islam | ||||
Occupation | Painter |
Full name | |
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Safinaz Zulficar (birth name) Arabic: صافيناز ذوالفقار |
Queen Farida, born Safinaz Zulficar (5 September 1921 – 16 October 1988) (Arabic: صافيناز ذوالفقار) was the first wife of King Farouk. She was queen of Egypt for nearly eleven years.
Farida was born on 5 September 1921 to an Egyptian noble family in Gianaclis, Alexandria. Her father, judge Youssef Zulficar Pasha, was vice president of the Alexandria Mixed Court of Appeals. Her family was Egyptian Circassian. She had as a maternal grandfather Turkish prime minister Muhammad Said Pasha and was the niece of renowned artist Mahmoud Said. She attended elementary and primary education at Notre Dame de Sion in Alexandria, a school run by French nuns.
Her mother was Zainab Khanum, lady-in-waiting to Queen Nazli.
Farida and King Farouk first met on a royal trip to London in 1937. They were engaged in the summer of 1937. She married King Farouk on 20 January 1938 at Qubba Palace in Cairo, Egypt. She was renamed Farida in accordance with the tradition initiated by King Fuad I that members of the royal family should bear the same initials. She wore a wedding gown designed by The House of Worth in Paris. She had three daughters: HRH Princess Ferial, HRH Princess Fawzia and HRH Princess Fadia. After the birth of a third daughter, Farouk divorced her, on 19 November 1948. King Farouk cared for the first two daughters, while Farida cared for the youngest one after the divorce.