In this interview, Akram Naqeeb, son of the last surviving Egyptian queen, tells his story for the first time. After the 1952 Egyptian revolution, King Farouk fled the country, taking his family with him to Italy where he lived until his death in the 1960s. His last wife, Queen Nariman, later divorced him and married again. Nariman’s son, Akram Naqeeb, grew up with the remnants of royalty. Here he talks about his relationship with his brother, Ahmad Fouad — who was king for only a brief period — as well as with his mother and father, Dr. Adham Naqeeb. Naqeeb, a lawyer by profession, is married to a woman from the old Egyptian aristocracy. Though the son of a queen, he prefers a simple lifestyle, out of the spotlight and away from publicity.
Q: Was your childhood different from others?
A: No it wasn’t. My parents never let me feel that I was different from others in any way. They taught me to treat everybody with respect, including the servants at home. No doubt it was this kind of training that helped us through the difficulties that plagued my family. That training enabled me to deal with all kinds of people whom I encountered.
Q: What about your education?
A: First I went to school in Cairo as I was then staying with my mother who was with her family. Thereafter she separated from my father. Later, I was sent to my father in Alexandria for legal reasons and I continued my studies there until I graduated from the law school. Since I was exempt from compulsory military service, I took a postgraduate diploma in international relations and international law at the American University. It was my hope to join the diplomatic corps. I took the test and passed. Butrous Ghali was the examiner but for political reasons, I was not offered a job.
Q: Then what about your present career?
A: For the last 18 years I have worked as a lawyer and legal adviser. In the past, I have worked for some of the great legal firms in the country but for the last three years, I have been working on my own. I have offices in Cairo, Suez and Port Said.
Q: Tell us about your mother and the difficult times she has been through.
A: Her life has been very hard indeed. We were not allowed to go outside the country after the revolution. Following my mother’s disagreement with the king which ended in divorce, she returned to Egypt where she had great difficulties with the rulers in those days. She endured many troubles in order to be with her family in her own country.
Q: What did you learn from her?
A: She is the best mother in the world and a great lady who is capable of coping with any situation. From childhood she had a number of problems. Even as a girl she could not lead a normal life as other girls of her age did. She was set upon the throne of Egypt at the age of 16 which was the most critical period in the history of modern Egypt. She was known as the queen of the common people because she sprang from them and identified herself as one of them. She had to face opposition from several unexpected quarters and to fight, not just to maintain her dignity, but to guarantee her livelihood and get her presence acknowledged. She loved her country and her family. She looked after Prince Ahmad and me with great tenderness and love. My relations with her were more than that of mother and son. Now she is married to Dr. Ismail Fahmi whom I respect and love as a father.
Q: How do you view the things written about your mother?
A: She has been the subject of a number of rumors and much gossip throughout her life. The majority were both unfair and baseless. However, nobody disputed the fact that she came from the common people and so she returned to them.
Q: Why has she always kept away from the press and TV?
A: It has not been deliberate. Poor health simply doesn’t permit her to appear in the media. Furthermore, she is careful not to involve herself in new controversies since she has been involved in so many in the past. Moreover, she cannot forget her past political position. She was witness to a special political experience in Egyptian history and nobody can deny that. She thinks not only of herself but of other family members as well.
Q: How are your relations with your brother, Prince Ahmad Fouad? Do you visit each other?
A: My relations with him are normal. He is not in Egypt for reasons beyond his control. We try our best to remain close and visit each other. He has no interest in Egyptian politics and his visits to Egypt have been very few. He still carries an Egyptian passport and maintains Egyptian citizenship. He has a wife and children and works in the insurance business. During the October 6 War, he offered medical assistance to the wounded. He hopes to come back and settle in Egypt at some time in the future. He was invited by the late President Sadat to visit the country and we hope that the current leadership will invite him and his family to return and settle in Egypt.
Q: What was your relationship with your father?
A: I took my father, Dr. Adham Naqeeb, professor of thoracic and heart surgery, as a role model. He was a strong personality and devoted to social service. I learned everything from him, particularly the significance of moral values in practical life. My views on life are based on three principles from him — a man’s learning continues until he breathes his last, he cannot get everything he wants and there are things in life which he has to accept because nothing can change them.
Q: What was the most trying moment in your father’s life?
A: My father has been through more than one ordeal in his life. He was humiliated and degraded. He was dismissed from his official rank and all his and his father’s properties were confiscated. There were times in his life when he did not have the money to buy a meal. With an indomitable will and undying optimism, he struggled against all the obstacles to regain his lost position and earn the respect of the authorities.
Q: Weren’t you upset when your father married another woman and you had to live with them?
A: Of course, I was very depressed in the beginning but my stepmother was very understanding and affectionate. She never let me feel that she was a stepmother. Moreover, both my father and mother regularly discussed my welfare after their divorce because I was their only child.
Q: How did you meet your wife?
A: Azizah Muhammad Al-Laithy is a granddaughter of Sheikh Muhammad Al-Laithy who was secretary at Khedive Ismail’s court. She was my childhood friend and had won my mother’s love even before our marriage. She is the person closest to both my mother and me.
