One of them gave me a folder containing old issues of the Egyptian magazine (Masamarat al-Habib), which stated:
Tomorrow, Egypt will celebrate one of its most cherished days: the feast of Al-Farouq the Great, Egypt’s hoped-for boy and bright hope, who was born at 10:30 pm on Wednesday, February 11, 1920 AD.
Some of the senior men of the palace presented to their master the names of Ismail and Muhammad Ali, to choose one of them for the happy son, but His Majesty the Sultan ordered the late Mahmoud Shukri Pasha to prepare a list of notable names that begin with the letter F, Faiq, Farid, Fathi, Fayez, and Farouk.
His Majesty chose the name Farouk as soon as he saw the list, in honor of the title of the Commander of the Faithful, Omar bin Al-Khattab, and since that day the Eid and the Palace have kept a record of names that begin with the letter F, and from it His Majesty the King chose the names of the princesses.
The Council of Ministers communicated the happy birthday to Marshal Lord Allenby, the British High Commissioner at that time, and also to the political representatives of the countries. The good deeds on that day donated ten thousand pounds to the poor and 1,600 pounds to charitable organizations. They bought slaughtered animals for five thousand pounds and distributed their meat to The poor. The late King Fouad also expressed his desire for his Crown Prince to have a pure Egyptian upbringing and speak only Arabic, because King Fouad was not proficient in speaking Arabic. Professor Sadiq Gohar Bey, who was Al-Farouq’s teacher, said that he noticed on His Majesty during his studies his tendency to solve problems. Difficulty matters, and his intense desire to learn about everything new.
The Girl Guides party on the island on April 7, 1932, was the first official party attended by Al-Farouk, who was the Crown Prince. Al-Farouk represented His Majesty his father at the funeral of King George V, King of the English.
Al-Farouq was the greatest scout in a dazzling ceremony held at Al-Ahly Club on April 26, 1933. His Highness was wearing the uniform of the scouts, carrying the scout’s emblem in his hand, and was given the title (Prince of Upper Egypt) by royal decree.
When the late King Fouad’s illness became severe, he issued an order to donate all the movables he owned to the Prince of Upper Egypt, and in January 1936, His Highness was the youngest of the greats at his father’s funeral.
The first royal message issued by His Majesty King Farouk was addressed to His Excellency Ali Maher Pasha, on April 30, 1936, and it stated: (I trust that I can rely on the loyalty of my dear nation, whom I grew up to love, and whose late father raised me to feel my duty towards her).
– And just as Umm Kulthum sang, and Mishal sang with her: And the days passed and the days passed –
