Shahbanu Farah Pahlavi's 88th birthday celebrated in London in memory of the fallen

A group of nationalist and royalist Iranians living in Britain celebrated the 88th birthday of Shahbanu Farah Pahlavi on her birthday, Wednesday 14 October 2026, at St Paul's Parish Hall in north-west London. In a video released by her office, Shahbanu Farah Pahlavi thanked Iranians around the world for holding celebrations of her birthday.

According to the organisers, the cost of the event was paid out of their own pockets by activists who have for years taken part in street rallies in London to make the voice of the Iranian people heard, and preparations took several weeks. The hall's limited capacity meant guests attended by formal invitation, and the organisers apologised to compatriots who were unable to attend.

The programme of the Shahbanu's birthday celebration in London

The ceremony opened with the singing of the national anthem of the monarchy era. Speakers talked about Shahbanu Farah Pahlavi's cultural, artistic and social record, from the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults to introducing the art of Iran's various regions to the world, including the handicrafts of Sistan and Baluchestan. One speaker, himself from Baluchestan, said the Shahbanu had built a bond between the people of all of Iran's regions and the court that had rarely been seen before. Iranian artists living in London also performed traditional music and daf.

Remembering the fallen of the Dey uprising

Alongside pictures of the Shahbanu, the organisers placed in the hall the names and photographs of those killed in the protests of past years, and those present stood in silence for several minutes in their honour. One guest, a former political prisoner who took part in the rallies of 8 and 9 January, urged the media to be the voice of the prisoners and young people being executed in Iran under a news blackout.

The celebration took place at a time when support for the Pahlavi family has also become more open inside Iran, including the statement of 171 royalist prisoners and activists in support of Prince Reza Pahlavi and the message of activists inside Iran to the Naumann Foundation.

Iranians in London celebrated Shahbanu Farah Pahlavi's 88th birthday in memory of those killed in the Dey uprising.