Malik Merchant, Editor

Princess Yasmin Aga Khan Celebrates Her 74th Birthday on December 28, 2023: Her Initiatives Over Past 40 Years Have Helped Raise Over US$86 Million in Fight to End Alzheimer’s

Compiled and prepared by MALIK MERCHANT

Special thank you to Princess Yasmin Aga Khan who founded the event in honor of her mother, silver screen icon Rita Hayworth — one of the first celebrities to publicly share her diagnosis — please see Tweet below

2023: Princess Yasmin Aga Khan at 74

Born in 1949 in Lausanee, Switzerland, to Prince Aly Khan and Rita Hayworth, Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, younger sister of Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, and Prince Amyn Aga Khan, celebrates her 74th birthday on December 28, 2023.

Last year, the French government decorated the Princess with France’s Knight of the Legion of Honor at a ceremony held in New York (see photograph of the Knighthood published below on the auspicious occasion of her 73rd birthday). Princess Yasmin Aga Khan has also received numerous awards and recognition for her unwavering commitment to Alzheimer’s advocacy, including the prestigious Alzheimer’s Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Her initiatives through the Rita Hayworth Gala, which she founded in 1984 in New York and which was expanded later to Chicago, and the Imagine Benefit have raised more than $86 million in the fight to end Alzheimer’s.

We present the following tweet from the Imagine Benefit that was held in New York in October 2023, as we wish Princess Yasmin a very happy 74th birthday. We wish her good health, happiness and succcess in the coming years, as the battle against Alzheimer’s continues. We invite our readers to read our special piece Yasmin Aga Khan: A Princess With a Mission.

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2022: Princess Yasmin Aga Khan at 73

“Princess Yasmin Aga Khan decided at the age of twenty to make the fight against Alzeihmer’s disease her life’s work, marked by the dementia that gradually took her mother, the famous actress Rita Hayworth, in the 1980s. She helped found Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) in 1984 and, later, Alzheimer France. Under the leadership of Princess Aga Khan, ADI advocated for the development of national plans and supported the efforts of the European Commission. The princess also contributed to the unanimous adoption of the global action plan on dementia in May 2017 at the World Health Organization (WHO)” — Knight of the Legion of Honor

Princess Yasmin Aga Khan Knight of the Legion of Honor
Philippe Etienne, the Ambassador of France to the United States, seen decorating Princess Yasmin Aga Khan with France’s Knight of the Legion of Honor at a ceremony held in New York in October 2022. Princess Yasmin made the fight against Alzeihmer’s disease her life’s work, marked by the dementia that gradually took her mother, the famous actress Rita Hayworth, in the 1980s. She helped found Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) in 1984 and, later, Alzheimer France. Under the leadership of Princess Aga Khan, ADI advocated for the development of national plans and supported the efforts of the European Commission. The princess also contributed to the unanimous adoption of the global action plan on dementia in May 2017 at the World Health Organization (WHO) / La princesse Yasmin Aga Khan a décidé dès l’âge de vingt ans de faire de la lutte contre la maladie d’Alzeihmer le combat de sa vie, frappée par ce trouble neurologique qui emporte progressivement sa mère, la célèbre actrice Rita Hayworth, dans les années 1980. Elle contribue ainsi à la fondation en 1984 de l’organisation Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) et, plus tard, à celle d’Alzheimer France. Sous la direction de la princesse Aga Khan, l’ADI a plaidé en faveur de l’élaboration de plans nationaux et soutenu les efforts de la Commission européenne. La princesse a également contribué à l’adoption à l’unanimité du plan d’action mondial sur la démence en mai 2017 à l’Organisation Mondiale de la Santé (OMS). Photograph: Consulat général de France à New York.

On the auspicious occasion of Princess Yasmin Aga Khan’s 72nd birthday on December 28, 2021, Barakah had published a brief feature piece on the Princess (see next section, below), followed by a much longer article entitled Princess with a Mission as part of Barakah’s support through its readers worldwide for the Rita Hayworth Gala that took place on April 22, 2022.

A year later, as we wish Princess Yasmin a very happy 73rd birthday, we are pleased to report that in October 2022, the French Ambassador to the United States, Mr. Philippe Etienne, and the Consul General of France in New York, Mr. Jérémie Robert, made four Americans Knights of the Legion of Honor. Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, younger sister of Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, and Prince Amyn Mohamed was among the four that were knighted along with scientist Olivia Flatto, writer Adam Gopnik, and art historian Professor Roberta Bernstein (please read article at the Consulat général de France à New York website in English HERE and in French HERE).

We extend our greetings to Princess Yasmin on her 73rd birthday as well as congratulate her on the knighthood that she has been bestowed with by the French government. We wish the Princess good health, and that she may continue to be an inspiration to millions around the world through the work that she has done for the cause of Alzheimer’s and to persist with finding a cure for the disease.

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Princess Yasmin Aga Khan at 72

Princess Yasmin Aga Khan at an Alzheimer's fundraising event in New York in December 1984.
Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, daughter of Prince Aly Khan (1911-1960) and Ms. Rita Hayworth (1918-1987), and younger sister of Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, and Prince Amyn Mohamed pictured at Alzheimer’s fundraiser in New York in December 1984. Photo: Bernard Gotfryd via Library of Congress (LOC). Id: https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/gtfy.02051.
Inset photo, at top right of portrait (larger version not accessible, except by visiting LOC): A half-length portrait of Prince Aly Khan and Ms. Rita Hayworth, created or published on May 27, 1949. Photo: New York World-Telegram and the Sun Newspaper Photograph Collection; Photo credit: LOC, Prints and Photographs Division, NYWT&S Collection, [reproduction number LC-USZ62-114252]

Alzheimer’s, a disease that was first discovered in 1906, still has no cure after 115 years. Mawlana Hazar Imam’s and Prince Amyn Mohamed’s younger sister, Princess Yasmin, has been at the forefront of raising public awareness about the disease, which contributed to the death of Princess Yasmin’s beloved mother, Ms. Rita Hayworth, on May 14, 1987 at the age of 68. However, Ms. Hayworth’s onset of the disease had begun much earlier, and it took more than ten years before Princess Yasmin found the doctor who diagnosed her mother with Alzheimer’s.

Princess Yasmin turned 72 on Tuesday December 28, 2021, and we are honoured and happy to publish a photograph of the Princess with the Late American President Ronald Reagan. Princess Yasmin graciously shared the signed photograph with Barakah, through Mr. Sadruddin Noorani, a long time supporter of Princess Yasmin’s mission and a member of the Rita Hayworth Gala Steering Committee.

Princess Yasmin Aga Khan at the White House with President Ronald Reagan during the proclamation of November as Alzheimers month.
Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, 4th from left, with Board Members of the Alzheimer’s Disease Association, as they present a plaque to President Ronald Reagan at the White House on December 6, 1988. The President had declared November as the Alzheimer’s month. Photo: White House Diaries, Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute.

We are also pleased to include a lovely portrait photo of the Princess taken by Bernard Gotfryd in New York 1984. We had published the portrait in an earlier piece as part of a collection of photographs of Mawlana Hazar Imam, Begum Salimah and Princess Yasmin that appear on the website of the US Library of Congress (please click HERE to see Bernard Gotfryd’s photographs in Barakah).

Princess Yasmin Aga Khan greeting President Ronald Reagan

We would like our readers to note that in March 2019, Princess Yasmin spoke on Alzheimer’s at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, following which Canada’s national newspaper, The Globe and Mail, conducted an interview with her. We invite our readers to read the interview, “There’s Hope,” by clicking HERE; it is available free of charge but requires the creation of an on-line account on the Globe and Mail website or by providing your Facebook or Gmail credentials.

We once again invite our readers to read an excellent piece under the title Yasmin Aga Khan: A Princess With a Mission.

Date posted: December 27, 2021.
Last updated: December 24, 2023.

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REVIEW BARAKAH’S TABLE OF CONTENTS AND VISIT ITS SISTER WEBSITES

Before departing this website please take a moment to visit Barakah’s Table of Contents for links to more than 325 pieces dedicated to Mawlana Hazar Imam, members of his family and the Ismaili Imamat. Also visit our two sister websites, Simerg and Simergphotos. Barakah’s editor Malik may be reached at mmerchant@barakah.com.

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25 comments

  1. Happy birthday princess with prayers for good health, happiness, joy and blessings and success in all your endeavors.Aameen!

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  2. Happy Birthday to Princess Yasmin on her 73rd birthday and thank her for her immense contribution to the worthy cause of establishing ADI, as millions of people around the globe suffer from this condition “Alzheimer’s” for which thus far has no concrete treatment but where there is hope there is a solution.

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  4. Happy birthday princess with prayers for good health, happiness, joy and blessings and success in all your endeavors.

    The work you’re doing is absolutely wonderful and we all wish you a long and healthy life. I have worked with, and known people suffering with Alzheimer’s and feel so lost. Best of luck in all that you do.

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  6. Happy Birth day Princess Yasmin. Praying for your good health, wealth and happiness. May Mawla give you lots of Baarakat.

    Esmail Remtulla

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  7. Happy Birthday to our Beloved Princess Yasmin
    Many Happy returns of the day.
    Many Healthy ones. Ameen
    Salute to Princess Yasmin for her on going work for the Alzheimer’s Association and wherever she is involved in other areas
    All the Best

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  8. Wishing you a Happy Birthday Princess Yasmin, which beckons another year of fulfilment, innumerable happy moments and escapades of serenity and peace. We also wish today on this very special day and every day for the rest of your life be filled with the warmth of sunshine, the happiness of sounds of laughter, the feeling of love and the sharing of good cheer.

    Mary Hassanali
    Calgary, Alberta

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  10. This is a small selection from the social media groups where a referral to Princess Yasmin’s Barakah article was made: – Ed.

    Suli Kanji Asani: Happy Birthday 🎂🌹Princess Yasmin
    Iqbal Ali: Happy birthday
    Yasmin Rajan: Happy Birthday 🥳🎂🎉🎉🎉🎉
    Mahmood Pardiwala: Happy Birthday 🎊🎁🎂
    Hira Khan: Happy birthday ♥
    Fatima Janmohamed: Happy Birthday, Princess Yasmin!
    Shehla Khowaja: Happy Birthday 🎂🎊🎁
    Manisha Wafa: Happy birthday 🎂 beautiful Princes😍❤️
    Vafo Noyoftov: Happy Birthday to our beloved Princess Yasmin Agakhan
    Shenaz Ladha: Happy Birthday 🎊🎉🎁 princess
    Noor-ul Ain: Happy Birthday 🎂🎁🎊princess
    Alida Habib: Happy Birthday 🎁🎂🎊
    Jamila Kanji: Happy Birthday 🎁🎂🎈
    Faridabano Jamal: Happy birthday princess Yasmin Agha khan
    Amir Samji: A Very Humble and a Very Kind Happy Birthday to Princess.
    Qurban Hussain Gulbasti: Happy Birthday 🎊🎂🎁
    Nasim Rajan: Happy Birthday🎂🎊🎉
    Taj Manasiya: Happy birthday stay blessed
    Rubina Kanji: Happy Birthday 🎁🎊🎉
    Rojina Charniya: Happy birthday
    Hasina Rashid: Happy Birthday
    Rehana Jiwani: Happy birthday dear princess Yasmin
    Nargis Siraj Pirmohammed: Happy Birthday Princess Yasmin
    Sarwar Niazi: Happy Birthday
    Alida Habib: Happy Birthday 🎁🎂🎊
    Parveen Jessa: Happy birthday 🎂🎁🎉🎈
    Sul Assar: Happy Birthday 🎁🎂🎈
    Zul Jamal: Happy Birthday🎂🎉🎁
    Ahmad Majar: Happy birthday dear princess 🌹🌹🌹
    Gulshan Aman: Happy birthday princess Yasmin 🎂🎁🎊🎉🌹🌺💕🌷❤️😍
    Shirin Dharani: Many many happy returns of the day Princess Yasmin, may Allah swt bless you and your loved one’s and fulfill all your wishes. Ameen.
    Shanaz Moloo: Happy Birthday to Princess Yasmin🎂💕🌹
    Munira Mughal: Happy 😊 birthday 🎉 to princess Yasmin. I love 💕 you 🎂🎉 so much ommah
    Salim Habib: A very inspiring person with illustrious characteristics like the beacon bearing family; internationally, her grand father was the first president of the League of Nations, her father represented Pakistan at the United Nation, she has devoted her entire life for the cause of cure for Alzheimer, her father also established a hospital. Prince Aly S Khan, in Mumbai , a life full of proud moments and the world is truly indebted.

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    • Happy Birthday 🎂 🥳🎉 Princess Yasmin. Tons and tons of happy returns of the day. All the very best of everything in spiritual and material happiness throughout the year. Enjoy celebrating with your family.

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  11. A very happy birthday to Princess Yasmin. Wonderful lady who is working for a worthy cause. May Allah SWT bless her and keep her safe.

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  15. Happy Happy Birthday to Princess Yasmin; wishing you a happy, healthy and joyous Birthday 🎂🎉🌹🌺🙏

    All the best in creating an awareness and cure for Alzheimer’s disease.

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  16. Happy Birthday to our beloved princess and long you may live.

    We are looking forward to the forthcoming article with great interest. It will be very interesting to learn Imam’s family involved in public service as a tradition of the family. Thanks.

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  18. Best wishes to you Princess Yasmin Alykhan on your 72nd birthday and hope you are successful in all your endeavours in finding a cure for Alzheimer’s with your constant support

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  21. Happy Birthday to Princess Yasmin! Wishing her success in her pursuit to create an awareness and cure for Alzheimer’s disease.

    Thank you Malik for once again showcasing Princess Yasmin and her work for the Alzheimer Association.

    Looking forward to reading Sadruddin Noorani’s in-depth profile of Princess Yasmin’s engagement with the Association.

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    • Wishing our Beloved Princess Yasmin a very Happy, Healthy, joyous and Peaceful Birthday. We wish her good health as well as success in the work she is passionately carrying out to seek out care for Alzheimer’s. Ameen

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