Exile, Isolation And Illness: The Tragic Tale Of Leila Pahlavi, Daughter Of Iran's Last Shah

Last Updated:January 15, 2026, 15:12 IST

Princess Leila Pahlavi, youngest daughter of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and Farah Pahlavi, died at 31 in London after years of exile, illness, and personal struggle, buried in Paris.

Leila was found dead in her London hotel room on June 10, 2001. (Image: farahpahlavi.org)

Princess Leila Pahlavi, the youngest daughter of Iran’s last Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and Empress Farah Pahlavi, witnessed a tragic end in exile at the age of 31.

Princess Leila was born into the glittering corridors of power in Tehran on March 27, 1970. As a child, she grew up in the opulent yet highly structured world of the Pahlavi court, surrounded by ceremony, private tutors, and a strong focus on Persian culture. Her upbringing combined traditional Iranian values with Western influences, reflecting the Shah’s vision of a modernising Iran. Despite the grandeur, those close to her describe Leila as a sensitive and introspective child, deeply connected to her family.

Her life was dramatically upended in 1979 when the Iranian Revolution forced the royal family into exile. At just nine years old, Leila left Iran as political unrest escalated and threats against her family mounted. The Pahlavis moved from Egypt to Morocco, the Bahamas, Mexico, the United States, and Panama, often under precarious circumstances and facing political pressure at every stop. During this period, her father battled advanced lymphoma, further straining the family emotionally. The exile replaced the certainty and security of palace life with constant displacement, unfamiliar schools, and an ever-present sense of impermanence.

The death of the Shah in Cairo in 1980, when Leila was only ten, further compounded her sense of loss and dislocation. Eventually, the family settled in the United States, primarily in Greenwich, Connecticut, and Leila continued her education at the United Nations International School in New York and later at Rye Country Day School. She also spent time in Paris, becoming fluent in Persian, English, and French. Though outwardly privileged, her life was marked by an ongoing struggle to reconcile her royal identity with the isolation and anonymity of exile.

As an adult, Leila faced serious health challenges, including chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, anorexia, and dependence on prescription medication. Friends and family noted that her reliance on medication was largely a coping mechanism for insomnia and emotional strain. Unlike her brother Reza Pahlavi, who took on a public political role, Leila remained private, occasionally modeling in Paris but largely avoiding the spotlight.

On June 10, 2001, at the age of 31, Leila was found dead in her London hotel room. An inquest determined that she had died from an overdose of prescription barbiturates, with cocaine present, and ruled it a probable suicide. She was buried in Paris, far from her homeland, a poignant reflection of her life in exile. Her story, marked by privilege, displacement, and personal struggle, remains a somber chapter in the history of the Pahlavi family.

News world Exile, Isolation And Illness: The Tragic Tale Of Leila Pahlavi, Daughter Of Iran's Last Shah

Read More