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Princess Ashraf of Iran

Iranian royal
Pahlavi in 1942

Princess Ashraf Pahlavi (Persian: اشرف پهلوی / Aŝraf Pahlawi, 26 October 1919 – 7 January 2016), was the twin sister of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran (Persia) and a member of the Pahlavi Dynasty. She was born in Tehran. She was thought to be the "power behind her brother" and was instrumental in the 1953 coup which led to him taking the throne.[1] She served her brother as a palace adviser and was a strong advocate for women's rights.[2]

Her brother was Gholamreza Pahlavi, who also lived in exile in Paris until his death in 2017. Her half-brother was Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran.

Following the Iranian Revolution in 1979, she lived in exile in New York City, Paris and Monte Carlo and remained outspoken on her country's politics.

Pahlavi died in Monte Carlo, Monaco at the age of 96.[1]


  1. 1.0 1.1 "Iranian Princess Ashraf, shah's twin sister, dies at age 96". Yahoo News. Retrieved 2016-01-08.
  2. Murphy, Brian (2016-01-08). "Ashraf Pahlavi, twin sister of Iran's late shah, dies at 96". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2016-01-08.