Shahbanu Farah Pahlavi's birthday: Prince Reza Pahlavi's office calls her "Mother of Iran"

In the early hours of Wednesday, 14 October 2026, on the birthday of Shahbanu Farah Pahlavi, Prince Reza Pahlavi's media office published a message calling her "Mother of Iran" and congratulating Iranians on her birthday. Shahbanu Farah Pahlavi was born in Tehran on 14 October 1938 and turns 88 today.

The message says that the Shahbanu was parted from Iran in 1979, "but Iran never parted from her life". Prince Reza Pahlavi's office recalled that after the death of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, the late king of Iran, the Shahbanu continued to guard the legacy and ideals of the Pahlavi era and, through the hard years away from the homeland, remained a voice of hope for Iran's future.

Shahbanu Farah Pahlavi's cultural legacy

The media office's message addressed the Shahbanu's role in founding, expanding and supporting Iran's cultural, artistic and social institutions, calling it a lasting legacy that, after nearly half a century, is still part of Iran's cultural memory. The message also says that even the grief of losing two children, Princess Leila and Prince Alireza Pahlavi, has not lessened her attachment to Iran and its people.

Prince Reza Pahlavi's office put down what has tied the Shahbanu's name to hope and steadfastness for many Iranians to her lifelong belief in "the victory of light over darkness", a belief that, the message says, she did not abandon even in the hardest years of her personal life. The message ends with the words: "Happy birthday to Shahbanu Farah Pahlavi, Mother of Iran."

Greetings from political prisoners and compatriots

The message was published as, in recent days, 27 political prisoners in the Islamic Republic's prisons sent separate messages congratulating Shahbanu Farah Pahlavi, calling her a symbol of Iran's culture and art and of love for the homeland. Large numbers of Iranians inside and outside the country have also marked the Shahbanu's birthday on social media.

In recent weeks, alongside the Prince's messages on Iran's economy and future, Prince Reza Pahlavi's media office has also stressed the Pahlavi family's account of its bond with Iran, an account in which Shahbanu Farah Pahlavi has a special place.

On Shahbanu Farah Pahlavi's 88th birthday, Prince Reza Pahlavi's office called her "Mother of Iran" and a symbol of hope and steadfastness.