Egypt’s last monarch Ahmed Fouad II has been on a prolonged unofficial visit to Egypt, accompanied by his son Muhammad Ali and his wife Noal together with their children.
The visit is strictly a private one; nothing was announced by the former royal family about the timings or schedule of the visit, but it has been rumoured that the ex-king was marking his 72nd birthday in his birthplace.
Members of the Egyptian royal family have been spotted in many places; they appeared genuinely happy with their holiday and were extremely friendly to all who encountered them. Wherever they went, they were warmly met by Egyptians.
Egyptian passport
Ahmed Fouad II was born on 16 January 1952 and was declared king as an infant on 26 July 1952 when his father, King Farouk (1920 – 1965) had to abdicate the throne following the revolution in 1952. The infant king reigned for less than a year until 18 June 1953 when Egypt was declared a republic.
Ahmed Fouad II was the 11th and last monarch of the Muhammad Ali dynasty, which had ruled Egypt since 1805; Muhammad Ali is known to be the founder of modern Egypt. After the monarchy was abolished and Egypt became a republic in 1953, Ahmed Fouad was moved to Switzerland where he was brought up, then to France where he married the French Dominique-France Loeb-Picard, and had with her his three children, Prince Muhammad Ali, Princess Fawzia-Latifa and Prince Fakhruddin. They later divorced and Ahmed Fouad moved back to Switzerland.
This is not his first visit to Egypt; he has been there many times, the last was in March 2022 with his elder son and his daughter. He holds an Egyptian passport in which he takes immense pride.
At his father’s final resting place
On a Friday morning, Ahmed Fouad visited al-Rifai Mosque in Cairo where his father King Farouk is buried alongside members of the Muhammad Ali family. Al-Rifai Mosque is located in the Citadel Square, adjacent to the 12th-century Saladin Citadel. The mosque is the resting place of Ali Abu Shubbak, an important figure of the Rifai, hence it is a very important place for pilgrimage. It also contains the royal mausoleum of members of Egypt’s royal family, including King Fouad I and his son King Farouk. Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran who was ousted by the Islamic Iranian Revolution of 1979 and who died in Cairo in July 1980, is also buried there.
During their visit to the mosque, the king and his family participated in the Muslim noon prayers alongside other Muslim worshipers.
At Red Sea El Gouna resort
Early in April, Egyptian business tycoon Naguib Sawiris posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account a picture of him with Egypt’s former king in El Gouna Red Sea resort which his brother Samih Sawiris founded and owns. Mr N. Sawiris posted a caption alongside the picture saying: “I had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know His Majesty King Fouad II of Egypt and his family during their visit to El Gouna.” Mr Sawiris was impressed by the former king’s keenness to visit Egypt’s landmarks, describing Ahmed Fouad as a “model of humility and high morals”.
At Montazah Palace
Ahmed Fouad and his entourage visited Alexandria which was a favourite summer retreat for his father King Farouk. The former royal family had quite a full schedule judging by the number of times they were spotted in various touristic sites and on Alexandria streets.
The family visited Montazah Palace which is located east of Alexandria. For hours, the royal group toured the corridors of the palace in Montazah where they wandered freely and took souvenir photos. Both the former king and his son were keen to read all the information available and take in every detail inside the royal palace, including the splendid architectural elements, marble columns, rooms and foyers.
Montazah Palace is a complex of royal palaces that sit in sprawling gardens of more than 300 feddans in area. It includes two palaces: al-Salamlek, which was built by Khedive Abbas Hilmi II in 1892, and al-Haramlik, which was built by King Fouad I in 1925 to be the summer residence of the royal family.
Ras al-Tin Palace
To another of Egypt’s exquisite palaces, Ahmed Fouad and his entourage paid a visit to Ras al-Tin Palace, the last place in Egypt where the infant king had been, and from which he boarded the royal yacht with his father into exile in July 1952.
Ras al-Tin Palace overlooks Alexandria’s western harbour. It was built by Viceroy Muhammad Ali in the 1830s to serve as a ruling headquarters; in the later 19th century it became the summer residence of the Muhammad Ali family. A railway station was built in the palace grounds for the family to travel back and forth. The palace was renovated in 1920 by King Fouad I who built a spectacular mosque there. Under King Farouk, the Princesses’ Building was annexed to the palace for the queen and princesses to spend summers in Ras al-Tin.
Ahmed Fouad and his family were treated to a guided tour in the Palace, capturing souvenir photos and enjoying the enthralling view and beautiful weather. On social media, he posted a picture at King Farouk’s desk and another on the Palace’s staircase.
On their way to Ras al-Tin, the royal group had stopped in the renowned Farouk Café where King Farouk was used to go during his stays at Ras al-Tin. The people at the café eagerly received their guests, showing them around and pointing at pictures of King Farouk inside the café. They told Ahmed Fouad they had a corner in the café named after him, to which Ahmed Fouad expressed profuse gratitude. The café owners presented Ahmed Fouad with a shield as a souvenir gift.
San Giovanni, Greco Roman Museum
The group visited the San Giovanni Hotel built in 1938 and situated in the Stanley neighbourhood; it directly overlooks the sea and was a favourite haunt of King Farouk’s. The royal group had lunch there; and Ahmed Fouad wrote a word in Arabic in the guestbook, which read: “I was happy to be in this elegant place, which my father King Farouk, may God rest his soul, took pleasure in visiting. Thank you for the warm reception and the delicious food.”
During their stroll in Alexandria’s streets, the royal group were keen to pose for pictures with statues of their ancestors placed in Alexandria’s most prominent squares. Both Ahmed Fouad and his son Muhammad Ali were spotted posing at the statue of Muhammad Ali Pasha in al-Manshiya Square, and together with Princess Noal they posed in Kom al-Dikka with the statue of Khedive Ismail Pasha.
Ahmed Fouad could not have missed visiting the newly renovated 132-year-old Greco Roman Museum, one of Egypt’s oldest and largest, touring its vast halls and admiring its exquisite exhibits.
…And the Bibliotheca
Nor could the former royals have missed a visit to the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA) where they were received and guided by its Director Ahmed Zayed. Ahmed Fouad was keen to inspect rare books and documents belonging to his family, including the private collection of King Farouk, the commemorative issue of al-Musawwar magazine issued at the time of King Farouk’s coronation, and another about the marriage of Princess Fawzia to the Shah of Iran.
Dr Zayed invited the former king to offer the library documents in his possession relating to the Alawite Dynasty so they would be indexed and displayed at the library. He presented Ahmed Fouad with a souvenir gift and a book in French about Egypt during the rule of the Alawite Dynasty.
Before leaving, Egypt’s last king wrote in the BA guestbook: “I am happy to be in this great edifice and proud of this wonderful achievement.”
Opened in October 2002, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina was planned as the reincarnation of the ancient Library of Alexandria which remained an integral part of human heritage since it was built by Egypt’s Ptolomeys in 290 – 250 BC. It was burnt down at some point in history; historians are uncertain exactly when, or by who: the Romans, Copts, or Arabs. The BA is today much more than just a library; it has become a cultural hub, a real beacon of knowledge and culture. It is a conglomerate of specialised libraries, Internet archives, restoration labs, rare books and private collections, museums, current and permanent exhibitions. Its vast, exquisite complex designed to emulate the Sun of Knowledge rising from the Mediterranean Sea, receives more than 1.5 million visitors every year.
GEM… and centenary of Automobile Club
Back in Cairo, Ahmed Fouad and his family visited the Grand Egyptian Museum GEM on the Pyramids Plateau in Giza. He posted pictures on his Facebook page, under the title: Visiting our Early Ancestors, the source of civilisation.
GEM is the world’s largest museum for Egyptian antiquities. It displays some of the most magnificent among Egyptian antiquities, including the colossus of Ramses the Great, the Tut Ankh Amun collection, and the sun boats of king Khufu who built the great pyramid. It is the first green museum in Egypt, and is now ready for official opening, but no date has yet been set for that.
Also in Cairo, Ahmed Fouad graced the centenary celebration of the Egyptian Automobile Club which marked the occasion with a display of some rare old automobiles. The celebration was held at the Club’s headquarters in Downtown Cairo, the classic interior of which is an epitome of meticulous renovation, and which features a charming roof garden restaurant that is a favourite gathering place for members in summer evenings. King Farouk was known to frequent the Automobile Club, especially the Alexandria branch which is built on a promontory that juts into the Mediterranean in the eastern Sidi Bishr area.
Watani International
8 May 2024