A close second was the 1967 opening of the Roudaki Hall complex during the Shah’s Coronation Ceremony. Mehrdad’s eyes would sparkle when describing the event. His influence was enormous, taking an organization with no budget and very little respect and growing it into a ministry that touched the nation and the world, including Hollywood. He interacted with prime ministers, presidents, producers, and movie stars. Mehrdad was bigger than any one project. He was national, even international.
In 1937 she married Fereydoun Djam, a groom chosen by her father, Reza Shah. It was a loveless match. Reza Shah refused to let them divorce. However, in 1944, before he died in exile, the old man did grant permission for the divorce. After the war, Mehrdad and Princess Shams married and honeymooned in Cairo before starting a family in America. The couple had three children: Shahbaz, Shahryar, and Shahrazad. When it was time to give birth, they would travel 12,000 miles to Los Angeles so the children could be delivered by the doctor Princess Shams loved, one recommended by Rita Hayworth.
