The Shah’s Growing Resentment
By the early 1950s, Mohammad Reza Shah’s frustration with Parisima Zand—and by extension, with Abdolreza—had reached its peak. This tension became dramatically visible in 1953, during a highly sensitive moment in the Shah’s personal life. Following his divorce from Soraya Esfandiari, the Shah had begun exploring a marriage alliance with Princess Maria Gabriella of Savoy, the daughter of Italy’s last king. This potential union was not merely romantic; it held geopolitical significance as well, potentially strengthening relations with the post-war Italian aristocracy and Western Europe more broadly.
Princess Maria Gabriella visited Iran with her brother, Vittorio Emanuele, to discuss the possibility of marriage. However, during the visit, Parisima privately met with the princess and, according to several accounts, described in stark detail the “hardships of life at the Iranian court.” Parisima reportedly advised her against marrying into the Pahlavi family, highlighting the Shah’s temperament, the rigidity of court life, and the isolation she would face in Tehran.
This candid—and arguably subversive—intervention had a direct impact. The marriage proposal collapsed. Mohammad Reza Shah, already embattled politically, saw this as a betrayal. When he learned that Parisima’s discouraging words had driven the Italian princess away, he issued a stern order:
