Aga Khan IV

Prince Karim al-Husseini (13 December 1936 – 4 February 2025), known as the Aga Khan IV, was the 49th imam of Nizari Isma'ilism from 1957 until his death in 2025. He inherited the Nizari imamate and the title of Aga Khan at the age of 20 upon the death of his grandfather, the Aga Khan III. He was also known by the religious title Mawlānā Hazar Imam until 4 February 2025, by his Isma'ili followers.
The Aga Khan's net worth was estimated at over US$13.3 billion by Vanity Fair in 2013. Forbes described the Aga Khan as one of the world's fifteen richest royals. He was the founder and chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network, one of the largest private development networks in the world. The Aga Khan was a business magnate with citizenship of the UK, France, Switzerland, Portugal and Canada (honorary) as well as a racehorse owner and breeder.
From the time of his accession to the Imamate of the Nizari Ismailis in 1957, the Aga Khan was involved in complex political and economic changes which affected his followers, including the independence of African countries from colonial rule, the expulsion of Asians from Uganda, the independence of Central Asian countries such as Tajikistan from the former Soviet Union and the continuous turmoil in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Aga Khan IV was born in Geneva, Switzerland, on 13 December 1936, as Prince Karim, the eldest son of Prince Aly Khan (1911–1960) and his first wife, Princess Taj-ud-dawlah Aga Khan, formerly Joan Yarde-Buller (1908–1997). His mother was the eldest daughter of the British peer John Yarde-Buller, 3rd Baron Churston.
The prince was declared healthy despite being born prematurely. His brother, Amyn Aga Khan, was born a year later in 1937. In 1949, his parents divorced in part due to Prince Aly Khan's extramarital affairs, and shortly after, Prince Aly Khan married American actress Rita Hayworth – with whom he had a daughter, Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, the half-sister of Aga Khan IV.
The Aga Khan IV also had a half-brother, Patrick Benjamin Guinness (1931–1965), from his mother's first marriage, as Joan Yarde-Buller was previously married to Loel Guinness of the banking Guinnesses.
Prince Karim spent the war years in Nairobi, Kenya, where his early education was by private tutoring. Prince Karim later attended the Institut Le Rosey in Switzerland, the most expensive boarding school in the world, for nine years where he achieved, in his words, "fair grades". Prince Karim was admitted to MIT and wanted to study science, but his grandfather, Aga Khan III, vetoed the decision and Prince Karim attended Harvard University, where he was elected a member of The Delphic Club and majored in Islamic history.
When his grandfather died, the young prince was thrust into the position of the Aga Khan. A university student who was known to be humble by peers became the new Nizari imam. He said about it: "Overnight, my whole life changed completely. I woke up with serious responsibilities toward millions of other human beings. I knew I would have to abandon my hopes of studying for a doctorate in History". He graduated from Harvard University in 1959, two years after becoming imam, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history (with Cum Laude honours) and his varsity H for the Harvard Crimson men's soccer team.
The young Aga Khan was a competitive downhill skier, representing Great Britain at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1962 and then Iran in the 1964 Winter Olympics.
Following the death of his grandfather the Aga Khan III, Prince Karim, at the age of 20, became the 49th Imam of the Nizari Ismailis and Aga Khan IV, bypassing his father, Prince Aly Khan, and his uncle, Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, who were in direct line to succession. In his will, the Aga Khan III explained the rationale for choosing his eldest grandson as his successor (which marked the second time in the history of the Nizari Ismaili chain of Imamat that a grandson of the preceding Imam – instead of one of his sons – was made the next imam):
In light of his grandfather's will, the Aga Khan IV was sometimes referred to by Nizari Ismailis as the "Imam of the Atomic Age". The will of the Aga Khan III added that the next Aga Khan, in the first several years of his Imamat, should look to his grandmother, Begum Om Habibeh Aga Khan, for guidance on general matters pertaining to the Imamat.
Upon taking the position of imam, the Aga Khan IV stated that he intended to continue the work his grandfather had pursued in building modern institutions to improve the quality of life of the Nizari Ismailis. Takht nashini (installation of the new imam) ceremonies occurred at several locations over the course of 1957 and 1958. During this time, the Aga Khan emphasized to his followers the importance of fostering positive relations with different ethnicities – a highly appropriate message considering the racially tense atmosphere in East Africa at the time between Blacks and South Asians. During the Aga Khan's installation ceremonies on the Indian subcontinent, the Aga Khan stressed his commitment to improving the standard of living of Nizari Ismailis and encouraged co-operation with individuals of other religions.
In 1972, under the regime of President Idi Amin, people of South Asian origin, including Nizari Ismailis, were expelled from Uganda. The South Asians, some of whose families had lived in Uganda for over 100 years, were given 90 days to leave the country. The Aga Khan phoned his long-time friend, Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. Trudeau's government agreed to allow thousands of Nizari Ismailis to immigrate to Canada. The Aga Khan also undertook urgent steps to facilitate the resettlement of Nizari Ismailis displaced from Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, and Burma to other countries. Most of these Nizari Ismailis found new homes in Asia, Europe, and North America. Most of the initial resettlement problems were overcome rapidly by Nizari Ismailis due to their educational backgrounds and high rates of literacy, as well as the efforts of the Aga Khan and the host countries, and with support from Nizari Ismaili community programmes.
The Aga Khan encouraged Nizari Ismailis settled in the industrialised world to contribute towards the progress of communities in the developing world through various development programmes. He described his role as imam as being partly to uplift the material and spiritual wellbeing of Nizari Ismailis – a duty that required an understanding of Nizari Ismailis in the context of their geographic location and their time. He elaborated on this concept in a 2006 speech in Germany, saying "The role and responsibility of an Imam, therefore, is both to interpret the faith to the community, and also to do all within his means to improve the quality, and security, of their daily lives and the people with whom Ismailis share their lives." This engagement of the Aga Khan with Nizari Ismailis was said to extend to the people with whom the Nizari Ismailis share their lives, locally and internationally.
The Aga Khan was one of several Shia signatories of the 2004 Amman Message which gives a broad foundation for defining those denominations of Islam that should be considered as part of the wider Muslim Ummah.
During the Pope Benedict XVI Islam controversy of 2006, he said:
When the Aga Khan IV was asked about his view on the consumption of alcohol in a 1965 interview with The Sunday Times, he said, in line with Muslim teaching:
Aga Khan IV became the first faith leader to address the Joint Session of the Parliament of Canada on 27 February 2014.
From 11 July 1982 to 11 July 1983 – to celebrate the Aga Khan's Silver Jubilee, marking the 25th anniversary of his accession to the Imamat – many new social and economic development projects were launched. These range from the establishment of the US$450 million international Aga Khan University with its Faculty of Health Sciences and teaching hospital based in Karachi, the expansion of schools for girls and medical centres in the Hunza region (one of the remote parts of Northern Pakistan bordering China and Afghanistan that is densely populated with Nizari Ismailis), to the establishment of the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme in Gujarat, India – and the extension of existing urban hospitals and primary health care centres in Tanzania and Kenya.
11 July 2007 to 13 December 2008 marked the 50th Anniversary of the Aga Khan's reign as imam (Golden Jubilee). On this occasion, leaders representing Nizari Ismailis from different areas of the world gathered at his residence to pay homage to the imam. As part of the Golden Jubilee, the Aga Khan made official visits to various countries – using the visits to recognize the friendship and longstanding support of certain leaders of state, government, and others, to the Aga Khan and his Nizari Ismaili community, as well as to lay the foundations for certain future initiatives and programmes. Areas of the world visited included the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa. During his visit to Houston, Texas, US, he announced the establishment of the Ismaili Center Houston.
In 2008, as one of the initiatives of the Golden Jubilee, the Aga Khan organized the Jubilee Games: a Nizari Ismaili sports meet in Kenya, to which teams of Nizari Ismailis from different areas of the world came to compete. The event was first named the Golden Jubilee Games but continued as the Jubilee Games. The second Jubilee Games were held in Dubai, UAE, in July 2016.
11 July 2017 to 11 July 2018 was designated the Diamond Jubilee Year of the Aga Khan's 60th year of reign. The Aga Khan travelled throughout the Diamond Jubilee year to countries where his humanitarian institutions operate to launch new programmes that help alleviate poverty and increase access to education, housing and childhood development. The Aga Khan's Diamond Jubilee opening ceremony was held in his Aiglemont estate. On 8 March 2018, Queen Elizabeth II hosted the Aga Khan at Windsor Castle at a dinner to mark his Diamond Jubilee. He visited a number of countries including the United States, UAE, India, Pakistan, Canada, France, UK, Kenya, and others. The Diamond Jubilee was hosted in Lisbon, Portugal, on and around 11 July 2018. Ismailis from around the world came to Lisbon to celebrate with their worldwide community. There were many concerts, a Jubilee Arts festival, and other events planned for tens of thousands of people. Following a historic agreement with the Portuguese Republic in 2015, the Aga Khan officially designated the premises located at Rua Marquês de Fronteira in Lisbon – the Henrique de Mendonça Palace – as the Seat of the Ismaili Imamat on 11 July 2018, and declared that it be known as the "Diwan of the Ismaili Imamat".
In 1986, Aga Khan introduced a universal constitution for his international followers, later amended in 1998. Its preamble affirmed core Islamic beliefs while emphasizing the imamate's role. It highlighted the imam's ta'lim (authoritative teaching), which guides Nizari Ismailis in both spiritual and material matters. The constitution reaffirmed the imam's full authority over religious and communal affairs, to ensure structured guidance and adaptability in practicing their faith amid changing circumstances.
The Aga Khan's racing horse businesses brought in considerable income. He owned and operated the largest horse racing and breeding operation in France, the French horse auction house, Arqana, Gilltown Stud near Kilcullen in Ireland, and other breeding/stud farms in Europe.
The Aga Khan operated a large horse racing and breeding operation at his estate Aiglemont, in the town of Gouvieux in the Picardy region of France – about 4 kilometres (2+1⁄2 miles) west of the Chantilly Racecourse. In 1977, he paid £1.3 million for the bloodstock owned by Anna Dupré and in 1978, £4.7 million for the bloodstock of Marcel Boussac. He was said to be France's most influential owner-breeder and record winner of The Prix de Diane, sometimes referred to as the French Oaks.
The Aga Khan owned Gilltown Stud near Kilcullen, Ireland, and the Haras de Bonneval breeding farm at Le Mesnil-Mauger in France. In March 2005, he purchased the Calvados stud farms, the Haras d'Ouilly in Pont-d'Ouilly and the Haras de Val-Henry in Livarot. Haras d'Ouilly had been owned by such horsemen as the Duc Decazes, François Dupré, and Jean-Luc Lagardère.
In 2006 the Aga Khan became the majority shareholder of French horse auction house Arqana.
On 27 October 2009 it was announced that Sea the Stars, regarded by many as one of the greatest racehorses of all time, would stand stud at the Aga Khan's Gilltown Stud in Ireland.
His unbeaten homebred filly, Zarkava, won the 2008 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. His homebred colt, Harzand, won the 2016 Epsom Derby and the 2016 Irish Derby.
The Aga Khan was the lead owner of Shergar, the Irish racehorse that was kidnapped from Ballymany stud farm in County Kildare, Ireland, by masked men in 1983 and held for ransom. The Aga Khan and the other co-owners refused to pay a ransom, and the horse was not recovered. The Aga Khan, the police, and the public suspected the Provisional Irish Republican Army of the abduction, though the IRA denied all involvement. In 1999, former IRA member Sean O'Callaghan published an autobiography in which he implicates the IRA as being responsible for the abduction. Shergar had become a national symbol in Ireland, and the IRA had underestimated the public outpouring of support for the horse and the backlash for the IRA even among Irish republicans who had historically supported the IRA, leading the IRA to deny involvement.
The Aga Khan was involved in multiple business ventures, in such areas as communications media and luxury hotels. In 1959 he founded the Kenyan media company Nation Media Group, which among others owns Daily Nation and Sunday Nation.
In the 1990s, the Aga Khan had a group of US$400 a night Italian luxury hotels, called Ciga. Through his for-profit AKFED, the Aga Khan was the largest shareholder in the Serena Hotels chain.
The Aga Khan was the founder and chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network, which coordinates the activities of over 200 agencies and institutions, employing approximately 80,000 paid staff, the majority of whom are based in developing countries. AKDN is partly funded by his followers and donor partners that include numerous governments and several international organisations. AKDN agencies operate in the fields of health, education, culture, rural development, institution-building, and the promotion of economic development, with a special focus on countries of the Developing Nations. It is dedicated to improving living conditions and opportunities for the poor, without regard to their faith, origin or sex.
AKDN includes the Aga Khan University, the University of Central Asia, the for-profit Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development, the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, the Aga Khan Foundation, the Aga Khan Health Services, the Aga Khan Education Services, the Aga Khan Planning and Building Services, and the Aga Khan Agency for Microfinance. One of the companies that the AKFED is the main shareholder of is the Serena Hotels Group – a chain of luxury hotels and resorts primarily located in Africa and Asia. The Aga Khan Award for Architecture is the largest architectural award in the world. The Aga Khan was also the chairman of the Board of Governors of the Institute of Ismaili Studies, which he founded in 1977.
Focus Humanitarian Assistance, an affiliate of the AKDN, is responsible for emergency response in the face of disaster. Recent disasters that FOCUS was involved in helping address include the 2005 earthquake in Pakistan (AKDN earthquake response) and the South Asian tsunami.
Significant recent or current projects that are related to the development and that were being led by the Aga Khan include the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat and the Global Centre for Pluralism in Ottawa, the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, the Al-Azhar Park in Cairo, the Bagh-e Babur restoration in Kabul,the Sunder Nursery in Delhi and a network of full IB residential schools known as the Aga Khan Academies.
The Aga Khan expressed concern about the work of the AKDN being described as philanthropy. In his address to the Evangelische Akademie Tutzing, when he was awarded their Tolerance Prize in 2006, he described this concern:
He was also a vice-president of the Royal Commonwealth Society till 2025. The Society is incorporated by Royal Charter and governed by the Council.
His Highness the Aga Khan IV named Prince’s Trust Global Founding Patron by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, on 12th March 2019, until 2025. Your Highnesses met at a dinner at Buckingham Palace, where he was thanked for his support. As per the Prince’s Trust Group, In the recent time His Highness's philanthropy and leadership has enabled The Prince’s Trust Group to support over 30,000 young people since 2019.
The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) is a founding partner of the Paris Peace Forum. The Forum was launched on the 100th anniversary of the Armistice, marking the end of World War I. By the Forum history, in the early development of the Forum, in 2019 Spring Meeting was organized around President Emmanuel Macron with Founding Members of the Forum such as His Highness the Aga Khan. The Paris Peace Forum is an international multi-stakeholder platform dedicated to global governance solutions. AKDN is a Strategic Partner and represent itself in the Governance of the Forum's Executive Committee and General Assembly.
In 1977, the Aga Khan established the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, an award recognising excellence in architecture that encompasses contemporary design and social, historical, and environmental considerations. It is the largest architectural award in the world (prize money for which is a million US dollars) and is granted triennially. The award grew out of the Aga Khan's desire to revitalise creativity in Islamic societies and acknowledge creative solutions for buildings facilities and public spaces. The prize winner is selected by an independent master jury convened for each cycle.
In 1979, Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) established the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture (AKPIA), which is supported by an endowment from Aga Khan. These programs provide degree courses, public lectures, and conferences for the study of Islamic architecture and urbanism. Understanding contemporary conditions and developmental issues are key components of the academic program. The program engages in research at both institutions and students can graduate with a Master of Science of Architectural Studies specialising in the Aga Khan program from MIT's Department of Architecture.
In 1964, Sports Illustrated wrote that despite the Aga Khan's reputation as "a gallivanting jet-setter who wants his horses, cars and women to be fast", he avoided most parties, never appeared in gossip columns, and had been associated with only one woman for the previous five years ("an exquisite, publicity-avoiding blonde named Annouchka von Mehks"). In 1969, the Aga Khan married former British model Sarah Frances Croker Poole, who assumed the name Begum Salimah Aga Khan upon marrying him. Sarah Frances was a divorcee, having previously been married to Lord James Charles Crichton-Stuart, son of John Crichton-Stuart, 5th Marquess of Bute. The wedding ceremonies were held on 22 October 1969 (civil) and 28 October 1969 (religious) at Karim Aga Khan's home in Paris. By 1984, the Aga Khan and Begum Salimah had taken to living separate lives. The Aga Khan and Begum Salimah had one daughter and two sons together, Zahra Aga Khan (born 18 September 1970), Rahim Aga Khan (born 12 October 1971), and Hussain Aga Khan (born 10 April 1974). In 1994, the couple's divorce was made public.
On 30 May 1998, the Aga Khan married for the second time at his walled compound and chateau, Aiglemont, in Gouvieux, France. The bride was Gabriele Renate Thyssen, who assumed the name Begum Inaara Aga Khan at her wedding. Born to Roman Catholic German entrepreneur parents in 1963, Gabriele was twenty-seven years younger than the Aga Khan. She was also a divorcee, having previously been married to Prince Karl Emich of Leiningen, by whom she had a daughter, Teresa. On 7 March 2000, two years after the wedding, a son, Aly Muhammad Aga Khan, was born. On 8 October 2004, after six years of marriage, the couple announced they would be getting divorced. In September 2011, seven years later, a divorce settlement was reached between them in the French courts, and the divorce settlement amount was agreed upon in March 2014.
The Aga Khan was an ardent yachtsman. He founded the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda in Porto Cervo, Sardinia, in 1967. Since then, Prince Karim Aga Khan IV served as the Club’s President, guiding it to achievements that have shaped the history of Italian sailing and established the YCCS as an international benchmark in the yachting world. He also owned several yachts, including a 164-foot yacht, Alamshar, named after a prized racehorse of his, with a price tag of £100 million.
The Aga Khan owned Bombardier jets. In 2005, it was reported that he owned a Bombardier Global Express and another transcontinental jet.
In 2009, Forbes reported that the Aga Khan's net worth was US$1 billion. Vanity Fair estimated his fortune to be well over US$1 billion. Forbes described the Aga Khan as one of the world's fifteen richest royals, and Vanity Fair said that an estimate of his net worth made shortly before January 2013 was $13.3 billion. He was unique among the richest royals in that he does not preside over a geographic territory. He owned hundreds of racehorses, valuable stud farms, an exclusive yacht club on Sardinia, Bell Island in the Bahamas, Bombardier jets customized and designed to suit his Personal Standard, a £100 million high speed yacht Alamshar, and several estates around the world, with his primary residence at Aiglemont estate in the town of Gouvieux, France, north of Paris. The Aga Khan's philanthropic non-profit institutions spend about US$600 million per year – mainly in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.
Aga Khan IV died in Lisbon, Portugal, on 4 February 2025, at the age of 88. In his will, he designated his son Prince Rahim Al-Hussaini to succeed him as Aga Khan V, the 50th imam of Isma'ilism. Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai and United Nations secretary-general António Guterres were among those publicly paying tribute to the Aga Khan following his death.
A private funeral ceremony was held for him in Lisbon on 8 February. Portuguese officials including president Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and mayor of Lisbon Carlos Moedas were among the attendees, alongside community leaders and foreign dignitaries including Trudeau and former Spanish king Juan Carlos I. On 9 February, he was buried at the Mausoleum of Aga Khan in Aswan, Egypt, also his grandfather's resting place.
The titles of Prince and Princess are used by the Aga Khans and their children by virtue of their descent from Shah Fath Ali Shah of the Persian Qajar dynasty. The title was officially recognised by the British government in 1938.
Author Farhad Daftary wrote of how the honorific title Aga Khan (from Agha and Khan) was first given to Hasan Ali Shah (The Aga Khan I) at the age of thirteen when he as the young Imam with his mother decided to go to the Qajar court in Tehran to obtain justice upon his father's death and was eventually successful. Those who had been involved in murder were punished."At the same time, the Qajar monarch bestowed on him the honorific title (laqab) of Agha Khan (also transcribed as Aqa Khan), meaning lord and master." Daftary additionally commented, "The title of Agha Khan remained hereditary amongst his successors."
The style of His Highness was formally granted to the Aga Khan IV by the British Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II in 1957 upon the death of his grandfather Aga Khan III, just two weeks after his grandfather unexpectedly made him heir to the family's 1,300-year dynasty, which shows a reflection of the strong relationship which has existed over time between both the Royal families.
This tradition is also continues today to recognises socio-economic development which make a huge positive impact to communities worldwide by the work of the Ismaili Imams in the fields of interfaith dialogue, education, healthcare, as he acknowledge and appreciate by many as the world’s most well-connected man on earth.
Additionally, the style of His Royal Highness was granted in 1959 by Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, later overthrown in the Iranian Revolution of 1979, but the Aga Khan preferred to use the style of His Highness. Over the years, the Aga Khan received numerous honours, honorary degrees, and awards.
The Aga Khan is mentioned in the 1969 Peter Sarstedt song Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)?.