After the Shah’s death in 1980, Shams lived on, quietly mourning not only the loss of her brother but the entire royal era. While in exile, Shams was often overshadowed by the broader public and political discourse surrounding the Pahlavi family’s legacy. The revolution had resulted in the exile of many members of the royal family, and their lives became a subject of intense scrutiny and often criticism, particularly among the diaspora and those who had opposed the monarchy.
