Simple Affair

In view of the troubled state of the world, King Farouk had promised to make the wedding a simple affair, and perhaps by oriental standards it was. A mere 2,500 people gathered in the square outside Farouk's suburban palace at Kubbeh one morning last week when Egypt's King finally made a Queen of the 17-year-old girl on whom his royal eyes fell over a year ago, when she was the fiancee of a civil servant (TIME, Jan. 9, 1950). The square was lined with mounted lancers and foot guards in immaculate white. Narriman Sadek was not present at the ceremony. Like all good Moslem brides, she waited at home while her uncle and her husband-to-be exchanged the marriage vows and signed the marriage contract.

When the formalities were over, buglers let go with a blast, and a cannon began booming a salute to drown out all other salutes: 101 guns. The King and his guests, all male, enjoyed a wedding reception (still without benefit of bride). At Narriman's home, 2 1/2 miles to the north, a smaller crowd kept its eyes fixed on the drawn blinds behind which the new Queen awaited her lord's summors. Close to sunset, Narriman, resplendent in Paris-styled white satin, finally emerged on the arm of the King's eldest sister Fawzia and entered a bright red Rolls-Royce with black fenders. As the red Rolls headed down the street toward Cairo and the waiting King, it was joined by a motorcade of five red motorcycles, three red jeeps, two red Cadillacs and eleven more subdued cars.

In Cairo, an arch topped with a pink neon heart and the initials F and N stood waiting for the Queen to pass through. Eighteen minutes after leaving her home, Narriman swept into the palace with four trainbearers guarding the corners of her trailing gown and faced her husband.

Another reception that lasted late into the night, more receptions on following days, a garden party or two, several parades and fireworks staged by the Egyptian army would complete the simple affair.

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