Who would be the Shah of Iran today?

With Iran currently in the news due to sweeping protests against the authoritarian Iranian regime, who would be the Shah of Iran today if the country still had a monarchy?

The answer is Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi – the current leader of the Iranian opposition who has encouraged Iranians to protest and stand up to the Ayatollah and the extremist regime.

The Crown Prince was born on 31 October 1960 in Tehran to Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and Empress Farah. He has one older half-sister, Princess Shahnaz, and two younger sisters, Princess Farahnaz and Princess Leila (1970-2001). He had one younger brother, Prince Ali Reza (1966-2011).

Educated in Iran, he was sent to the United States in 1978 for pilot training as a member of the Imperial Iranian Air Force. Due to the Iranian Revolution the following year, he left his training early and later enrolled at Williams College in Massachusetts before later studying political science at The American University in Cairo. He did not obtain a degree until 1985, when he earned his bachelor’s degree in political science by correspondence from the University of Southern California.

After the Shah died in 1980, Empress Farah served as Regent until Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi turned 21, at which time he declared himself monarch. However, the monarchy had been overthrown the previous year, meaning his declaration was not recognised. The United States government went as far as to state it would not support him and recognised the new Islamic Republic.

Since then, he has primarily resided in the United States and has shown support for a secular, democratic Iran instead of the current regime.

The Crown Prince is married to Iranian Yasmine Etemad-Amini; the pair wed in Connecticut in 1985. They have three daughters, Princesses Noor (b. 1992), Iman (b. 1993) and Farah (b.2004).

While no longer part of a reigning monarchy, he holds several foreign royal honours from Sweden and Spain. He also holds honours from Italy, France, Austria, Rwanda and the House of Savoy.

As the Iranian protests against the regime continue throughout the country, Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi has encouraged continued demonstrations to overthrow the Islamic Republic. He has given numerous interviews across the globe to share support for the demonstrators. His name has also been written on billboards and walls throughout the country, with people chanting things like, “This is the final battle, Pahlavi will return,” and “Long live the Shah.”

It remains to be seen if the opposition will successfully oust the Ayatollah and his regime from power, but if they do, the Crown Prince has expressed his support for the Iranian people to choose if the monarchy returns or if the country turns into a republic.