Hamid Mirza

Infobox Person
name = Hamid Mirza
birth_date =April 23 1918
birth_place =Tabriz, Persia
death_date = Death date and age|1988|5|5|1918|4|23
death_place = London, United Kingdom
resting_place = Brookwood Cemetery
children = Mohammad Hassan Mirza II
Nazrin Dokht Khanum
parents = Crown Prince Mohammad Hassan Mirza and Muhtaram Razzaghi

Prince Soltan Hamid Mirza Qajar (23 April 1918 - 5 May 1988) was the head and heir presumptive of the Qajar dynasty the former ruling dynasty of Iran and the son of the last Qajar Crown Prince of Iran.

Early life

He was born in Tabriz the son of Crown Prince Mohammad Hassan Mirza and his second wife Muhtaram Razzaghi. [http://www.4dw.net/royalark/Persia/qajar29.htm Royal Ark] ] His early years were spent at the Golestan Palace until he was sent by his father at the age of 4 to be educated in England. On his way to England he visited his grandfather Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar in Constantinople. His grandfather had abdicated in 1909 following the Iranian Constitutional Revolution. He never reached England as his grandfather felt he was too young to go so, instead he continued to live with his grandfather in Constantinople until later moving to Sanremo in Italy where his grandfather died on April 5, 1924. Following the death of his grandfather Hamid Mirza and his older brother Hossein Mirza moved to Paris for a year. Following the overthrow of the Qajar dynasty in 1925, Hamid Mirza and his brother moved to England with their father.cite web|url=http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~iohp/kadjar.html|title=Interview with Hamid Kadjar (page 1)|accessdate=2008-08-18|language=Translation of Persian transcript|year=1981]

In 1934 Hamid Mirza attended H.M.S. Worcester Thames Northgood Training College in Greenhayes, Kent. He left the college in 1936 with a nautical degree. Following the conclusion of his course Hamid Mirza joined the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company as a cadet. After three years working for the Royal Mail Hamid Mirza left to join Mobil Oil.

World War 2

Following the outbreak of the Second World War Hamid Mirza's early attempts to join the Royal Navy were unsuccessful. He was finally accepted into the Navy in 1942 serving as a sub-lieutenant serving on the HMS Duke of York and HMS Wild Goose. He served in the Royal Navy under the name David Drummond after being asked by British foreign secretary Sir Anthony Eden to adopt an English sounding name.cite web|url=http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~iohp/kadjar2.html|title=Interview with Hamid Kadjar (page 2)|accessdate=2008-08-18|language=Translation of Persian transcript|year=1981]

During the second world war, Hamid Mirza and his father held numerous meetings with British officials where the possibility of the Qajar dynasty being returned to power was discussed with the possibility of Hamid Mirza or his father becoming Shah on the removal of Reza Shah but his chances were hindered because he didn't speak Persian having lived in England since the age of six.

Post war

Following the end of the war Hamid Mirza returned to Mobil oil and in 1957 he returned to Iran for the first time since he left as a four year old taking up a position in Tehran. During his time in Iran he was arrested on two occasions by SAVAK. He left Iran in 1971 to return to London.

He became head and the Heir Presumptive of the Qajar dynasty following the death of his cousin Fereydoun Mirza on September 24, 1975. Following his death on the May 5, 1988 in London his son Mohammad Hassan Mirza II became the Heir Presumptive of the Qajar Dynasty while his uncle Mahmoud Mirza became the new head of the dynasty. [ [http://www.qajarpages.org/qajsuccession.html Qajar Succession] ]

Family

He was married twice firstly to Mah Banu Khanum (born 1924), who he married in Paris in 1946, they had two children before divorcing in 1957.
* Prince Mohammad Hassan Mirza II (born 18 July 1949)
* Princess Nazrin Dokht Khanum (born 8 February 1951)

He was married secondly to Sudaba Khanum (born 1924) on the August 25, 1960 in Tehran. This marriage was childless.

Notes

External links

* [http://www.qajarpages.org/hamidmirza.html Photo of Hamid Mirza]
* [http://www.qajarpages.org Qajar pages]