Ahmad Shah Khan, Crown Prince of Afghanistan


Ahmad Shah, Crown Prince of Afghanistan was the second son of Mohammad Zahir Shah, the overthrown King of Afghanistan. He held the title of Head of the House of Barakzai from his father's death in July 2007, until his death in June 2024.

Biography

Ahmad Shah was born at the Arg royal palace in Kabul. At the time of his birth he was second in the line of succession to the throne after his older brother Muhammed Akbar Khan, Crown Prince of Afghanistan. However, following the death of his brother on 26 November 1942, he became the heir apparent and Crown Prince. Ahmad Shah represented his father several times as regent when the latter was abroad.
He was educated first at the Esteqlal High School, and College of Military Science, in Kabul. He later attended the University of Oxford and the Institut d'études politiques de Paris, before working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kabul.
His father's reign ended on 17 July 1973, when he was ousted by a [1973 Afghan 1973 Afghan coup d'état|coup d'état|coup] with Afghanistan being declared a republic by Mohammad Daoud Khan, a member of the royal family. The Crown Prince was one of fourteen members of the royal family arrested following the coup. He was allowed to leave the country for Rome on 26 July. Following the overthrow of the monarchy, the Crown Prince settled in Alexandria in the U.S. state of Virginia and took to writing poetry, keeping a low profile even after the former king's return to Afghanistan in 2002.
He died on 4 June 2024, at the age of 89. At the time of his death, he was the oldest surviving male heir of the last reigning King of Afghanistan.

Marriage and issue

On 22 November 1961, the Crown Prince married Princess Khatul Begum, a daughter of Sardar Muhammad Umar Khan Zikeria, by his wife, Princess Sultana Begum, the fourth daughter of King Mohammad Nadir Shah. The ceremony took place at the Chihil Sutun palace near Kabul. They had two sons and a daughter:
  • Prince Muhammad Zahir Khan. He married Princess Oshila Begum. They have a daughter:
  • * Princess Roxanne Khanum
  • Princess Hawa Khanum
  • Prince Muhammad Emel Khan