Magazine content is available exclusively for TIME subscribers.IRAN: The Barren Queen
The primary purpose of a queen is to have children. In Moslem kingdoms such as Iran, where only a man can ascend the throne, it is of even greater primacy that they be male.
One bright morning last month, a procession of elderly courtiers and politicians trooped into Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlevi's palace to discuss "crucial matters which have vital importance for the future of the monarchy." The "matters" boiled down to one: the failure of beautiful, 25-year-old Queen Soraya to produce an heir in seven years of marriage.
Slim, Westernized Soraya rushed to Switzerland, probably for a new series of...
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