Nazli Sabri

Nazli was born on 25 June 1894 to an Egyptian father and a mother of Turkish, French and Greek origin. Her father was Abdel Rahim Sabri Pasha, Minister of Agriculture and Governor of Cairo, and her mother was Tawfika Sharif Hanim. Nazli had two brothers: Sherif Sabri Pasha and Hussein Sabri Pasha, and two sisters: Amina Sabri and Nawal Sabri. She was the maternal granddaughter of Major General Mohamed Sherif Pasha, prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, who was of Turkish origin. She was also a great-granddaughter of the French-born officer Suleiman Pasha. Nazli first went to the Lycée de la Esclave-de-Dieu in Cairo, and later to the Collège Notre-Dame de Sion in Alexandria. Following the death of her mother, she and her sister were sent to a boarding school in Paris for two years. After returning, Nazli was forced to marry her cousin, Khalil Sabri. However, the marriage ended in divorce after eleven months. After the separation, she stayed at the house of Safiya Zaghloul, where she met Zaghloul's nephew Saeed Zaghloul; the two were engaged until Saeed broke up with her during his exile with his uncle Saad Zaghloul following the 1919 revolution. ==Queen==

The Sultan of Egypt, Fuad I, first saw Nazli at an opera performance. On 12 May 1919, Fuad proposed to her, although he was 26 years her senior. On 24 May 1919 Nazli married Sultan Fuad I at Bustan Palace, Cairo. It was the second marriage for both Nazli and Fuad. When Fuad's title was altered to King, she was given the title of Queen. She then had four daughters: Fawzia, Faiza, Faika, and Fathia. Restricted to the palace throughout most of Fuad's reign, Nazli was permitted to attend opera performances, flower shows, and other ladies-only cultural events. As her upbringing had left her remarkably educated, cultured and emancipated for an Egyptian woman of the time, she found this prescribed existence backward and stifling. Nazli accompanied the king during part of his four-month tour of Europe in 1927, and was much fêted in France because of her French ancestry. With the inauguration of Parliament in 1924, she was among the royal attendees at the opening ceremony, seated in a special section of the guest gallery. ==Later years==

Following the death of King Fuad in 1936, Nazli's son Farouk became the new King of Egypt, and she became the queen mother. Her brother Sherif Sabri Pasha served on the three-member Regency Council that was formed during Farouk's minority. In 1946, Nazli left Egypt and went to the United States for treatment for a kidney ailment. On 13 September 1950 King Farouk deprived the Queen Mother, and her daughter Princess Fathia of their rights and titles. This was due to latter's marriage, which Nazli supported, but was against Farouk's wishes, to Riyad Ghali Effendi, a Coptic Christian. Nazli later converted to Catholicism, changing her name to Mary-Elizabeth. In 1965, Nazli attended the funeral of Farouk, in Rome. They sold for $127,500 and $140,000 respectively. However, Nazli and Fathia still ended up in bankruptcy court. In 1978, Fathia's jewellery was also sold to meet debts. ==Legacy==

Queen Nazli's art deco necklace reappeared at a Sotheby's sale in December 2015. The Queen ordered the Van Cleef & Arpels necklace along with a matching tiara for her daughter's (Fawzia) wedding. The necklace is formed by 600 round and baguette diamonds arranged in a sunburst motif. ==Titles and styles==

• 26 May 1919 – 15 March 1922: Her Gloriness The Sultana • 15 March 1922 – 18 January 1938: Her Majesty The Queen • 18 January 1938 – 8 August 1950: Her Majesty Queen Nazli == In popular culture ==

In 2007, Queen Nazli was played by Egyptian actress Wafaa Amer in the Drama "El-malek Farouk". In 2008, Rawia Rashed published a book about Queen Nazli, titled Nazli, Malika Fi El Manfa (Nazli, A Queen in Exile). She was also portrayed by Nelly Karim in the 2025 Egyptian film El Sett, a biopic about the life and career of the iconic Egyptian singer and actress Umm Kulthum. ==See also==