Dr. Hussein Pacha Hosni (born Cairo, 2 December 1896; died 26 November 1985) was King Farouk's personal assistant.
He was born in Cairo on 02/12/1896 and died on 25/11/1986.
He comes from a conservative Egyptian Noble Family, of Caucasian and Albanian origin.
He was very patriotic since his youth and enjoyed reading all the political news.
He always yearned to serve his motherland and to regain its full independence from the British.
In his early years three incidents attracted his attention and increased his patriotic awareness:
- The Rise and success of Turkey and Japan the two Oriental nations.
- Denshawai Incident""*, where six innocent farmers from Donshway were hanged because 3 British soldiers who were hunting there were found dead and it was thought at first they were bitten by the locals but after the execution it was discovered they died of sun stroke.
- The rise of the young Leader "Mustafa Kamil Pasha", co founder of the National Party,who advocated patriotism, freedom, equality and called for full independence.
He developed his writing and speaking skills in different languages.
Beside mastering his native Arabic/Egyptian language he also mastered Turkish, French, English, Italian and German languages.
He was a true scholar of History, Geography and Politics.
He was an old guard of the original "National Party" founded by the national heroes Mustafa Kamil Pasha and his associate, Mohamed Farid Bey. He grew-up on the party’s objectives and principals for freedom, justice, equality and patriotism and to free the country of the British.
He devoted his life to serve his country and to achieve the goals put forward by Mustafa Kamil Pasha which he tried to fulfill later on.
In 1919, someone threw a bomb at the convoy of the Sultan Hussein Kamel in Ras-el-Tin in Alexandria prompting the detention of a number of young enthusiasts. He was arrested then as the police found his name in the diary of a young detainee from Alexandria whom he had met the summer before.Upon his release he met young Ahmed Mohammed Hassanein who was an inspector and secretary to the British Chief Inspectors at the ministry of interior not knowing that in the future together they would serve their King.
He was always one of the top achievers.
He finished 18th in the Kingdom at the end of his secondary education and until recently Saadeya Secondary School had his name on their Honour’s Muriel Plaque.
Obtained his bachelor's degree with distinction, from Supreme School for Teachers "Faculty of Arts" and was graded 2nd in the class in spite of the hardships of his political detention for a few months before the final exams.
Obtained his Doctorate, in History & Politics, with distinction from Montpelier’s University in France where his name was added to their Honour’s Plaque and samples of his work were kept in their museum. His Thesis was titled "Suez Canal et La Politique Egyptian".
He had further studies in the Sorbonne in Paris, Oxford and Cambridge Universities.
He visited the European museums and in particular the archives of Vienna and Paris where he collected photos of many documents relating to the French Revolution and the Napoleonic era which he used in making slides to project to his students, when he was teaching, for better explanation and later on for writing his history book about the History of Europe in the 19th Century. This book in particular was taught in all schools in the Arab World for years.
After he obtained his Ph.D. degree, three years later, he was appointed assistant to the director of education and remained as such for a couple of years. During this period, he presented to the director of the Royal Domains and Trusts, Naguib Pasha, a proposal to translate and transfer the important documents relating to modern Egypt which he found in the archives of London, Paris and Vienna to be available to the researchers and scholars.
After a long time passed without a word from Naguib Pasha he re-contacted him and was offered a transfer to the Foreign Office which he accepted and indeed in February 1925 he was appointed a vice-consul in Izmir/Turkey then a consul in Naples.
In 1928 after his return from his summer vacation, he found a surprise cable waiting for him requesting his immediate return to Cairo. Upon his return to Cairo, he was informed that he as selected to be King Fouad’s delegate to the Imam of Yemen.
After completing his mission successfully he returned to Cairo and reported his finding to the King who was very pleased with his success and had him transferred to work in the Royal Palace as assistant to the Chief of Cabinet then Secretary for Ceremonies.
As King Fouad was interested in moving to the palace all important documents from the Citadel Archives, after having them translated from Turkish into Arabic, he presented his proposals to H.M. to fulfil his wish. His proposals were duly approved and he was assigned to carry them out.
When King Vittorio Emmanuel of Italy was invited to visit Egypt he was charged to organise the visit. He then took this chance to propose to the King ways to modernize the Royal Court which were approved and he was asked to have them implemented without delay.
When it was time for the Crown Prince "Prince Farouk" to go to study in England he was selected to accompany him. It was as if God wished this trip to be the eternal separation of the prince from his father.
The Prince and his companions traveled to England to study at the Woolwich Military Academy, Sandhurst now, but shortly afterwards they had to return to Egypt upon the death of.
During this trip back to Egypt the relationship between the prince, later king, and him became much closer.
He organised the return on board of an Egyptian ship "The Nile" and also the suitable reception of the prince/king upon his return to Alexandria and Cairo then the coronation ceremony. The King returned on April 1936 which was formally taken as the date of his ascent to the throne.
Upon their return the King appointed him as his private secretary and confidant.
As time passed his relationship with Hassanein Bey increased in its warmth and enabled them to exchange their views on various subjects.
As Dr. Hussein Hosny Bey -Pasha later on- grew closer to the young King he was hopeful to sow in him patriotic and religious principals and thus serve the motherland through his beloved young king.
He served the King till the end of his reign on 26 July 1952 and observed how the end differed from the beginning.
The main reason for the King’s change were the interference of bad elements that manipulated and kept him away from those loyal to him.
Many times he alerted him of the consequences of such behaviour that would result in his separation from his loving wife "Queen Farida" and his people who loved him.
During his service in the Royal Court his manners, actions and advice were done according to his personal political principals and values even without care for limelight or fame. That is why the "Revolution" that deposed of the King treated this man who was the private secretary to King Farouk treated him with respect and reverence never shown to other men from the Royal Court and they even kept him in the palace till he resigned.
When the King departed he left his private secretary his will to write his memoirs, which he did,and "Years with King Farouk" was published a few years ago detailing all the events that he personally saw and heard with his own ears or was part of. His historical testimony was accurate and honest.
The private secretary of the King consisted of the following departments:
- Department of Foreign Affairs
- Department of Arabic Affairs
- Department of the Sudan and other Dependencies Affairs
- Department of the Royal Secretariat and Translation
- Department of the Archives and Complaints
Personalities He Got To Know:
- Ahmed Hassanein Pasha Who Was:
- Chief of the Royal Cabinet
- Married the Queen Mother
- Scholar and desert expert
- Fencing champion
- Mohamed Naguib Pasha Who Was:
- Director Of The Royal Domains And Trusts
- Donshway Incident*: On 13/06/1906, British Officers Opened Fire, Wounding Four Local Farmers, Set Fire To The Village Pigeon’s Tower And Killed A Farmer In A Village Nearby Who Tried To Give Water To The Thirsty Officer Paul, Who Fell As A Result Of Sunstroke!A Hastily Set-up Court Ordered: 04 Farmers To Be Executed, 12 Farmers To Be Whipped & 36 Farmers To Be Given Hard Labour Imprisonment
- El Kassasin Accident: 16/11/1943, A British Military Truck Hit King Farouk’s Car Wounding Him.
- Abdeen Palace Incident of 1942: 04/02/1942, The British Army Surrounded The King’s Palace To Force Him To Appoint A New Prime Minister Of Their Choice.
- 1948 Palestine War: 15/05/1948
- Prime Minister Ahmad Maher Pasha: 14/02/1945
- Prime Minister El Nokrashy Pasha: 28/11/1948
- Amin Osman Pasha: 05/01/1946
- Muslim Brotherhood Leader Hassan El Banna: 13/02/1948
Main political parties
- The Wafd Party:
Formed by The Delegation, Headed By Saad Zaghloul Pasha, Who Went To England To Negotiate The End Of The British Occupation And Troops Evacuations But Failed. Later On Saad Zaghloul Pasha Launched It As A Political Party To End The British Occupation And Egypt’s Full Independence And Became A Prime Minister Several Times.
After The Death Of Zaghloul Pasha, Moustafa El-nahas Pasha Became Its Leader And After A Successful Political Campaign The Party Won The Elections And He Became A Prime Minister. The Party Kept A Strong Relationship With The British High Commissioner That Caused Some Friction With The Royal Palace And Even Resulted In The 4 February 1942 Incident.
- The National Party:
The First Political Party In Egypt Formed In 1907 By The National Leaders Moustafa Kamel Pasha And His Associate Mohamed Farid Bey. The Party’s Objectives And Principals Were Independence,Freedom And Justice. Both Founders Died Abroad And Never Formed A Government. However, The Successive Leaders Of The Party Became Prime Ministers And Ministers.
