Ismail Chirine

Ismail Hussein Chirine (17 October 1919 – 14 June 1994) was a royal Egyptian diplomat. He served as commander in chief of the Egyptian army. His ancestors had relations to Muhammad Ali Dynasty.

Early life and education
Chirine was born in Alexandria on 17 October 1919 to Hussein Chirine (died 1934) and Princess Amina Bahrouz Fadel (1886–1947). His mother was a Turkish Circassian. She died in an airplane accident near Rome, remarried Ali Rateb from Alexandria and his father married Gulsun Hanem Aflaton. His uncle was the governor of Cairo. From the age of 12, Chirine preferred to live with his aunt Zeinab Chirine, wife of Haidar Pasha.

He was educated at Victoria College in Alexandria, Great Chesterfield College and Trinity College, Cambridge.

Career
Chirine assumed different public posts in Egypt. When Chirine returned from the United Kingdom he firstly worked for the Bank El Ahly El Masry. Later he became an officer in the army, where his English language was useful during negotiations in 1948, together with Rahmani Bey who later became ambassador to Czechoslovakia. Chirine became colonel and field marshal in the army. He was a member of Egypt's Rhodes delegation. In 1948, he served as secretary of Egyptian delegation to the United Nations. Then he acted as aide-de-champ of King Farouk. In 1949 he served as the press officer for the cabinet.

He briefly became defense minister of Egypt just before the Egyptian Revolution in 1952.

Personal life
Chirine married Princess Fawzia, the sister of King Farouk, in March 1949, five months after the Princess divorce from the Shah of Iran. The wedding ceremony was held in Koubba Palace. Following the wedding they lived in an estate owned by the Princess in Maadi. They also resided in a villa in Smouha.

They had two children, Nadia (19 December 1950 – October 2009) and Hussein (born 1955). Their daughter, Nadia, wed to Egyptian actor Youssed Shabaan.

He lived the rest of his life in Alexandria, tending his property in the South of Egypt and spending summers in Switzerland, to allow his wife to meet her eldest daughter, Princess Shahnaz Pahlavi.

Death
Chirine died at military hospital in Alexandria on 14 June 1994. He was buried in Cairo.