Mozaffareddin Shah and the Order of the Garter

Mozaffareddin Shah of Iran (r. 1896-1907)  with King Edward VII, Queen Alexandra, the Prince of Wales George V, and the Princes of Wales Victoria.

 Note that, Shah's black cap of lambskin is decorated with  the  "Sea of light" diamond, the sister diamond to the "Mountain of Light" which is now part of the British Crown Jewels.

On August 18, 1902, the Shah of Persia, ruling in succession to his father Nasereddin shah, who had been assassinated in May, 1896, by an anarchist, visited  England.  The Shah was received at Dover by Prince Arthur of Connaught. Those persons who remembered the father saw much resemblance in the son's comely face and calm look.

The Shah wore a dark uniform with gold shoulder straps, and had a jewel and a white plume in his black cap of lambskin. The Mayor of Dover read an address, and Shah, in his reply, expressed the hope that the two countries would be better friends from his visit. On arrival at Victoria Station, in the metropolis, he was met by the Prince of Wales, wearing a general's uniform, and by the Marquess of Lansdowne (Foreign Secretary).

The Shah now wore his decorations, including a broad silk ribbon of light blue and several stars. The party drove to Marl borough House, escorted by Life Guards, and in the evening he attended a State dinner at Buckingham Palace, with the Prince presiding in his father's absence.

On August 20 the Shah went to Portsmouth, and visited the King on board his yacht, prior to his own departure for the Continent. On the 22nd the Persian visitor was present at a review of Royal Artillery at Woolwich, and was roused from his usually quiet demeanour by the spectacle of 108 guns and 1300 officers and men as they dashed past at the gallop.

On the following day came the inevitable visit to the Crystal Palace, where the Messrs. Brock, in honour both of the illustrious visitor and of the recent national and imperial event, gave a particularly splendid and elaborate display of fireworks, witnessed by the Shah and his party from the royal box overlooking the great terrace and the grounds. Prince Arthur of Connaught, by touching an electric button, started the " fire portrait " of the visitor, and he, in his turn, set light to those of the King and Queen, in profile, encircled by a wreath of bay. Among the novelties shown were luminous pugilists, and a race of fiery motor cars.

Hardinge tried to please the Shah by avoiding factories, long speeches, operas, and naval reviews which entailed setting foot on board ship. Lord Lansdowne, the Foreign Secretary, paid him personal attention, transacting amidst the festivities business  in the form of full and frank conversations with the Shah and his prime  minister, but the whole trip was soured by the Garter episode. Queen Victoria had bestowed the Order of the Garter on Nasereddin shah in 1873.   His son and and successor coveted  it too, and would accept no substitute. King Edward VII refused to confer the distinction on a Muslim and resented being told what decorations he  should give. Lansdowne had designs drawn up for a new version of the Order, without the Cross of St. George. The King was so enraged by the sight of the design, though, that he threw it out of his yacht's porthole. The Shah left England "very unhappy" without the Garter, but amends were made by the special mission to Iran of Viscount Downe , who invested Mozaffareddin Shah with the Order in February 1873.

Standing from left to right:

• Ala-ol-Saltaneh (Minister in the Persian Embassy in London), 
• Seif-ol-Sultan, Hakim-el-Molk Grand Vazir Secretary of State for the Imperial Court ,
• Movassagh-el-Molk,
• Fakhr-el-Molk,
• Prime Minister of Persia Mirza Ali Asghar Khan Amin-al-Sultan Atabak e Azam
• Husseingholi Khan Navab,
• Amir Bahador Hossein Pasha Khan (Minister of War)
• Paul Ketabchi Khan,
• Vakile-e-Doleh,
• Mohandess-ol-Mamalek,
• Movassegh-ol-Molk,
• Mirza Ebrahim Khan (later Hakim-el-Molk) Hakimi Physician to the Shah  (Mirza Mahmoud Khan's nephew and son in law)
• Movassagh-e-Doleh,
• Doctor Sir Hugh Adcock,
• Hajeb-e-Doleh Davaloo Qajar, Ebrahim Hakimi's cousin,
• Prince Arthur of Connaught and Doctor C Lindsey.