As we wait for the wedding of Prince Mohammed Ali and Princess Noal and the wedding of Andrea Casiraghi and Tatiana, here is a look at Mohammed Ali’s father’s wedding that took place at the Palais Princier in Monaco!

Fouad met Dominique-France Picard for the first time in Switzerland where he was at school, Dominique’s brother used to go to the same school. Years later they met on a plane and started a relationship that led to Fouad’s
proposal. The couple were married civilly on April 16, 1976 in Paris. Later that year, Dominique converted to Islam and changed her name to Fadila -you might note that it starts with an F, Fadila said that Fouad picked it himself to go with the tradition started by his grandfather King Fouad I who named all his children with Fs, it’s also thought that Fadila was the suggested name if Fouad II was to be a girl- the religious ceremony took place in the Princely Palace in Monaco on October, 5 1977 (Yes, a year after the civil wedding) on the invitation of Prince Rainier and Princess Grace. Fadila says that this invitation was because her parents knew the princely couple as they owned a chalet next to them in Switzerland but actually King Farouk and Prince Rainier were close friends and Rainier gave Farouk the Monegasque citizenship (hence the speculations about Farouk’s fortune hidden in Monaco)

For her wedding, Fadila chose a white silk faille gown topped with a cream and gold embroidered brocade jacket. We don’t know who made the outfit, but I’m pretty sure it was a couture house!

On her head, Fadila chose to wear the Turkish yashmak. Yashmak is a head scarf that has been worn in different way through the decades, partially covering the hair and face. A Yashmank could be worn with a hat or a tiara. Royal brides didn’t normally wear yashmaks on their wedding day. For Fadila, a new convert to Islam, it was a way of embracing the muslim heritage and traditions of the royal family. Below we see Princess Fawzia in 1951 wearing a yashmak to her brother King Farouk’s wedding while the bride, Queen Narriman was not wearing a yashmak with her gown.

Fadila’s yashmak was in fact so conservative to the extent that it almost turned into an 80’s style hegab!

Upon the civil wedding Fadila became queen. and the couple lived together in an apartment in the prestigious Avenue Foch in Paris. They had three children together; Mohammed Ali, Fawiza Latifa, Fakhr ElDin. However the couple split in the late 90s early 2000s, Fouad left Fadila the Paris apartment

and lived in Switzerland. Famously in 2002 the apartment was auctioned
off by Societé Generale bank when she couldn’t pay back her debts for
years, she spoke to almost every newspaper saying that Fouad left her no
money when they divorced!

As a divorcée, she held the title of Her Highness, Princess Fadila.
But
that was before Fadila did her first (and last) interview with an
Egyptian journalist in 2008, in the interview Fadila denied that she and
Fouad were divorced and said they were smart and wise enough to
focus on their children’s future instead of thinking about silly stuff
like divorce (ouch!) and that they were so in love and hadn’t ever
thought about separation!
Mohammed Ali (Left) and Fadila (right) attending Princess Soraya’s birthday (center). Pic was taken in 1997-2001
Fouad
wasn’t exactly thrilled with this interview, so he released a paper
written and signed by him in Arabic stating that he and Fadila had been separated for 11 years and stripping her off her title. So now Fadila is Mrs. Fadila
and nothing else (Queen was not even an official title to fight for!), in a
later interview Fouad said the divorce wasn’t confirmed by the courts
until 2008!
Left to right: Princess Grace, Queen Narriman, King Fouad, Princess Fadila, Fadila’s mother, Prince Rainier
It’s not known whether Fadila will attend her son’s wedding or not (and there are some speculations that the wedding will be postponed because of the situation in Egypt)
Just when you thought Fergie was as wild as it gets!
What do you think of Fadila’s wedding dress?
Photos: Flicker, facebook, google