Yasmin Aga Khan

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Yasmin Aga Khan
Yasmin Aga Khan in 2006
Born (1949-12-28) December 28, 1949 (age 74)
Lausanne, Switzerland
Spouse
Basil Embiricos
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​
(m. 1985; div. 1987)​
​
​
(m. 1989; div. 1993)​
IssueAndrew Ali Aga Khan Embiricos (1986–2011)
HouseAga Khan
FatherPrince Aly Khan
MotherRita Hayworth

Princess Yasmin Aga Khan (born December 28, 1949) is a Swiss-born American philanthropist known for raising public awareness of Alzheimer's disease.

She is the second child of American movie actress and dancer Rita Hayworth, and the third child of Prince Aly Khan, Pakistan's representative to the United Nations from February 1958 until his death in 1960. Her paternal half-brother is Prince Karim al-Husayni, the fourth and current Aga Khan.

Early life[edit]

Khan was born at Clinique de Montchoisi in Lausanne, Switzerland;[1] she spent her early life with her mother and her maternal half-sister, Rebecca Welles Manning (1944–2004), daughter of Hayworth's marriage to Orson Welles.[2] Her half-brothers are His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV and Prince Amyn Aga Khan.[3] In January 1953, her parents' divorce was granted on the grounds of extreme mental cruelty. Yasmin, then only three years old, played about the court while the case was being heard, finally climbing on to the judge's lap.[4]

She attended Buxton School,[5] a small boarding school in Williamstown, Massachusetts,[6] and the International School of Geneva. In 1973, she graduated from Bennington College[7][5] in the United States and was originally interested in opera singing.[6]

Philanthropic activities[edit]

Influenced by the death of her mother, for whom she cared for many years, from Alzheimer's disease, Yasmin Aga Khan serves on the board of directors, as vice chairman, of Alzheimer's and Related Disorders Association.[7] She is also the president of Alzheimer's Disease International, a National Council Member of the Salk Institute, and a spokesperson for the Boston University School of Medicine, Board of Visitors. She also serves on numerous boards of the Aga Khan Foundation. The 2009 documentary I Remember Better When I Paint features a stirring interview with Yasmin Aga Khan describing how her mother took up painting while struggling with Alzheimer's and produced beautiful works of art.[8]

Personal life[edit]

She married her first husband, Greek economist and shipping heir Basil Embiricos, in 1985.[5] The couple had a son, Andrew Ali Aga Khan Embiricos (1986–2011). The Princess and Embiricos were divorced in 1987.

Her son Andrew died in his Chelsea, Manhattan, apartment on December 4, 2011. He was 25.[9][10]

She married her second husband, Christopher Michael Jeffries, in 1989.[11] They divorced in 1993.[12]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "San Pedro News Pilot 28 December 1949 — California Digital Newspaper Collection". cdnc.ucr.edu. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  2. ^ "OBITUARY: Orson Welles is Dead at 70; Innovator of Film and Stage". The New York Times. October 11, 1985.
  3. ^ Columbia, David Patrick (September 10, 2007). "The Party that once was". New York Social Diary. Archived from the original on July 9, 2014. Retrieved January 28, 2010.
  4. ^ "Rita Hayworth Gets Divorce". The Manchester Guardian. January 27, 1953.
  5. ^ a b c "Princess Yasmin Aga Khan Engaged to Basil Embiricos". The New York Times. April 26, 1985.
  6. ^ a b Gordin & Christiano. "Interviews: Princess Yasmin Aga Khan". TheaterLife.com. Originally published in Dan's Papers. Retrieved December 2, 2014.
  7. ^ a b "Selection of Notable Alumni: Government / Public Service". Bennington College. Archived from the original on December 13, 2009.
  8. ^ Gitau, Rosalia (March 11, 2010). "Art Therapy for Alzheimer's". Huffington Post.
  9. ^ "Andrew Embiricos, grandson of screen star Rita Hayworth, found dead in his Chelsea apartment". Daily News. Manhattan, New York. December 5, 2011.
  10. ^ "Andrew Embiricos' Death: We Finally Have the Truth | The Village Voice". September 8, 2021. Archived from the original on September 8, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  11. ^ "Princess Yasmin Aga Khan Wed to Christopher Jeffries". The New York Times. February 5, 1989.
  12. ^ "Judge Grants Divorce To Princess Aga Khan". www.deseret.com. Deseret News. December 11, 1993. Archived from the original on April 11, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2023.

External links[edit]

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