Karim, Prince Aga Khan

Karim al-Husayni, Aga Khan was the forty-ninth Imam of the Nizari Ismaili Muslims, succeeding his grandfather Mahommed Shah Aga Khan III in 1957, who had designated his grandson as heir. Karim was the son of Prince Ali Aga Khan (1911-1960) and Princess Tajuddawlah Aga Khan (née Joan Barbara Yarde-Buller) (1908-1997).

Karim was the head of a community of 15 million people, spread mainly in India and Pakistan. He was born in Geneva in 1936, and lived in Nairobi, Kenya, for many years, before studying in Switzerland at the prestigious Le Rosey Institute and graduating from Harvard in 1959. In 1957, Queen Elizabeth II awarded him the title of His Highness, while two years later, the Shah of Persia granted him the title of His Royal Highness.

In the 1960s, as a skier, the Aga Khan represented Great Britain at the 1962 Chamonix World Championships, and at the Innsbruck Olympics two years later, he competed in all three Alpine skiing events with the Iranian team.

The Aga Khan married Begum Salimah Aga Khan, and after his 1995 divorce married Gabriele Renate Thyssen. Passionate about thoroughbred horses, he used his wealth to head a consortium that developed the luxurious Costa Smeralda resort on the island of Sardinia, Italy, with wealthy partners happily investing in the project.

The Aga Khan was also credited with the founding of the Alisarda airline (later Meridiana), the construction of the Olbia-Costa Smeralda airport, the Costa Smeralda yacht club, and the Ciga Hotels empire. In 1967 he was the first Muslim to receive the title of Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, the country´s highest honour. The Aga Khan´s personal wealth was estimated to be up to 13 billion dollars but, through the Aga Khan Development Network, created in 1967, he promoted philanthropic activities from Bangladesh to Afghanistan not only for his religious community but also for education, housing and health.