Iran's last queen: ‘I still hope the ayatollahs will fall and the people will be free'
Forced into exile when the ayatollahs imposed a theocracy in Iran, the late shah and his family have been vilified by the regime for 46 years. Yet Farah Pahlavi, the shah's widow and Iran's last queen, says she still enjoys the affection and support of ordinary Iranians.
'They send me emails with their telephone numbers. And I call them, and it's very strange because they recognise my voice,' she said. 'And they say: 'Hello shahbanu [queen consort]'. And I say: 'Don't say that' because I'm afraid the [Iranian] government is listening to them.
'But after all the lies that [Iran's religious rulers] have said about us … I am very happy to see and hear the sympathy and kindness of my compatriots before I die.'
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