The fascinating and tragic story of Afghanistan's last King and Queen

AFGHANISTAN has dominated headlines in recent weeks as the world watched the 20 years of Western occupation end in panic and bloodshed. But there is history beyond 9/11 and the United States invasion in Afghanistan, none more fascinating than that of the last King and Queen of the nation.

The fascinating and tragic story of Afghanistan's last King and Queen

AFGHANISTAN has dominated headlines in recent weeks as the world watched the 20 years of Western occupation end in panic and bloodshed. But there is history beyond 9/11 and the United States invasion in Afghanistan, none more fascinating than that of the last King and Queen of the nation.

The story of Afghanistan's royal family is little-known. The last King, Mohammed Zahir Shah, and his wife, Humaira Begum, ruled for 39 years, eventually deposed in 1973. The couple were famed for their progressive politics, though their lives were riddled with tragedy and fear.

King Mohammed was born in 1914 and experienced grief in his young life when his father was assassinated, leaving him as king at the age of just 19.

For the next 30 years, he largely ceded power to his uncles, which saw the family...