When a beautiful blonde college graduate was swept off her feet by a handsome prince, their subsequent wedding was described as ‘fairytale’.
Held at the 14th-century French chateau which was used as a backdrop for the James Bond film A View To A Kill, the lavish ceremony made a five-page spread in Hello! with photographs supplied by the groom’s father, billionaire racehorse owner the Aga Khan.
But just five years later and the magic has sadly evaporated from the marriage of the Aga’s second son, Prince Hussain, 38, and his bride, Kristin, the 36-year-old daughter of a university professor from New York.
Although she changed her religion to marry Hussain, adopting the Islamic name Khaliya, I understand the couple have parted and there is talk of divorce.
Their separation is the latest in a string of marital breakdowns that have blighted the family of the leader of the world’s 12 million Ismaili Muslims. The Aga Khan has been married twice — his first wife and Hussain’s mother is the former English model Sally Croker-Poole.
As I disclosed, he has been separated from his second wife Princess Gabriele for almost eight years, but they are not divorced. The German-born beauty is based in Switzerland. The Aga’s daughter, Princess Zahra, 41, wed Dorset farmer’s son and former male model Mark Boyden, but that union ended in 2005 after seven years and two children.
Perhaps fortunately, Prince Hussain and his wife do not have children.
They met when both were studying at New York’s Columbia University, from where they graduated with masters degrees. The Princess’s father Professor Norman White is an IT specialist, and his wife, Dr Margaret White, is a psychologist.
After living with Hussain in France, Kristin now rents an apartment. She has also been seen alone at a number of social events in Europe this summer.
It is thought she will return to America to live. But her father tells me: ‘Whether she does or not is up to her. I am not making any comment.’ A spokesman for the Aga declined to comment.
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