5 Royal Family Members Who Battled Crippling Depression

Princess Leila of Iran — The Princess Who Died Alone

Princess Leila Pahlavi was the youngest daughter of the Shah of Iran. When her family was forced into exile after the 1979 revolution, she was just nine years old. She grew up in America, graduated from Brown University, and seemed to have everything—except peace. Leila suffered from anorexia nervosa and severe depression for years. Her mother, Empress Farah Diba, later confirmed that her daughter had “suffered from depression” for years. In June 2001, the 31-year-old princess was found dead in her room at the Hotel Leonard in London. She had overdosed on barbiturates. The death was ruled a suicide. She was buried in Paris, far from the country she was born to rule. A princess who had everything but the will to live.