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Crown Princess Yasmine Pahlavi, who is married to Reza Pahlavi, the last Crown Prince of the former Imperial family of Iran, confirmed the diagnosis in a message to her followers on Facebook and posted an update after her surgery on Instagram yesterday. The 50-year-old lawyer said she took “strength and courage” from women in Iran, a country she and her family fled in the 1970s before the Islamic Revolution overthrew the royal family which had ruled for more than 2,500 years. In the video, she said: “Dear friends, I want to take this opportunity to let you know that I have been diagnosed with breast cancer. “This is a difficult time, but I am inspired by the strength and courage of the women of Iran.”

The princess said she will use her fight against breast cancer to raise awareness of the disease and women’s health and promised to keep her thousands of followers updated. Princess Yasmine added: “I hope to use this opportunity to share more about the importance of cancer awareness and women's health more generally. “The operation is tomorrow morning. “I’ll keep you updated on my progress!"

Crown Princess Yasmine Pahlavi of Iran has announced she has breast cancer

After fleeing Tehran before the 1979 revolution, she settled in the United States where she studied to become a lawyer. She founded several organisations helping underprivileged children, no matter what their race, religious or political affiliation. She married Prince Pahlavi in 1986 and the couple have three daughters, Princess Noor, Princess Iman and Princess Farah. Her followers rushed to offer their support to the Crown Princess telling her of their prayers, thoughts and personal experiences.

Crown Princess Yasmine Pahlavi with her husband Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi

One Facebook user said: “My dear Yasmin, I’m praying for you to be healed.” While another user wrote: “I admire your bravery and courage. “Sending you love and wish you a fast recovery” Another user said he hoped the Princess would recovery to full strength soon because the future of Iran “needs you.”

The Iranian princess promised to keep use her diagnosis to further women's health