[custom_adv] Farah Pahlavi,( born 14 October 1938) is the widow of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and the exiled shahbanu (empress). [custom_adv] Farah Diba was born on 14 October 1938 to an upper-class family. Born as Farah Diba, she was the only child of Captain Sohrab Diba (1899–1948) and his wife, Farideh Ghotbi (1920–2000). [custom_adv] Farah's father's family is In her memoir, the former Shahbanu writes that her father's family were natives of while her mother's family were of Gilak origin, from Lahijan on the Iranian coast of the Caspian Sea. [custom_adv] Through her father, Farah came from a relatively affluent background. In the late 19th century her grandfather had been an accomplished diplomat, serving as the Ambassador to the Romanov Court in St. Petersburg, Russia. [custom_adv] Her own father was an officer in the Imperial Armed Forces and a graduate of the prestigious French Military Academy at St. Cyr. [custom_adv] Farah wrote in her memoir that she had a close bond with her father, and his unexpected death in 1948 deeply affected her. [custom_adv] The young family was in a difficult financial state. In these reduced circumstances, they were forced to move from their large family villa in northern Tehran into a shared apartment with one of Farideh Ghotbi's brothers. [custom_adv] The young Farah Diba began her education at Italian School, then moved to the French Jeanne d'Arc School until the age of sixteen and later to the Lycée Razi. [custom_adv] Farah worked long hours at her charitable activities, from about 9 am to 9 pm every weekday. Eventually, the Queen came to preside over a staff of 40 who handled various requests for assistance on a range of issues. She became one of the most highly visible figures in the Imperial Government and the patron of 24 educational, health and cultural organizations. [custom_adv] She was an accomplished athlete in her youth and became captain of her school's basketball team. Upon finishing her studies at the Lycée Razi, she pursued an interest in architecture at the École Spéciale d'Architecture in Paris, where she was a student of Albert Besson.