Prince Reza Pahlavi on Shahbanu Farah's birthday: My mother never lost her faith in the triumph of light

On Wednesday, 14 October 2026, Prince Reza Pahlavi congratulated his mother, Shahbanu Farah Pahlavi, on her birthday in a message on his official channel. The message was published after DIAR's earlier report on the message from the Prince's media office on the same occasion, and is his first personal word on this day.

In the message Prince Reza Pahlavi wrote that Shahbanu Farah "has been and is a maternal presence not only for me but for several generations of Iranians". He called his mother's most admirable quality her boundless love for Iran and her lasting efforts to safeguard and advance Iran's culture and art.

Prince Reza Pahlavi's message to his mother

In another part of his message the Prince stressed: "My mother has never lost her faith in the triumph of light over darkness." He expressed hope that Shahbanu Farah will soon witness the fulfilment of a wish she has held in her heart all her life: the freedom of Iran, the pride of its people and the return of light to a land that, in his words, has never been far from the Shahbanu's heart. The message ended with his customary signature, "Long live Iran".

The message comes as Prince Reza Pahlavi has repeatedly spoken in recent weeks of the nearness of the end of the Islamic Republic; including in his speech at the Cyrus the Great 2 conference in Toronto, where he spoke of an "active erosion" in the structure of the government. The link between a mother's personal wish and the national wish for Iran's freedom was the focus of this year's message.

Shahbanu Farah Pahlavi's birthday

Shahbanu Farah Pahlavi turned 88 on 14 October this year. Earlier, the media office of Prince Reza Pahlavi had called her "the mother of Iran" in a message and spoken of her guardianship of the Pahlavi legacy and her steadfastness through the years away from the homeland. On the eve of this day, 27 political prisoners inside Iran also congratulated her with messages. The Shahbanu's record of founding museums and cultural centres, supporting artists, and children's, education and health programmes was, in the years before 1979, part of Iran's modernisation.

Prince Reza Pahlavi said his mother's wish is to see a free Iran and the return of light to the homeland.