A Look Back: 1952 - Teenage Iraqi king toured America

A teenage Iraqi king made a pit stop in Newport Beach where he dined at the Balboa Bay Club and swam in Newport Harbor, during a whirlwind American tour in 1952.

King Faisal II Al Hashimi of Iraq was only 17 when he embarked on a cross-country tour of the United States, arriving in New York aboard the Queen Mary in August 1952, according to historical news accounts.

On his cross-country trip, the young king would meet President Harry Truman, baseball great Jackie Robinson and several Hollywood stars.

The only son of Iraq’s King Ghazi and Queen Aliya, Faisal’s father was killed in a car crash when he was only 3 years old.

Faisal became a child king and his uncle, ‘Abd al-llah, served as regent until he came of age in 1953.

The king and his entourage arrived in Newport Beach on Sept. 1, 1952, via chartered bus from Los Angeles. Faisal stayed at the old Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles during his time in the Southland, where he and his crew inhabited three suites and 10 single rooms.

A few days before visiting Newport Beach, the king visited Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios in Los Angeles, where he ate lunch with stars like Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr, the Los Angeles Times reported Aug. 31, 1952.

In Newport Beach, Faisal toured Newport Harbor aboard a private yacht owned by a man named Kenneth Wilson, the Los Angeles Times reported.

After the pleasure cruise, the king and his entourage stopped at the Balboa Bay Club, where they were met by the club’s founder Kenneth T. Kendall, who hosted them for lunch, according to historical news accounts.

Later in the afternoon, Faisal swam in Newport Harbor off a 75-foot houseboat owned by a man named Frank Muller, before retiring to Los Angeles, The Times reported.

Faisal’s reign was short after he returned to Iraq. He was assassinated during a military uprising on July 14, 1958. Under the command of Officer Abd al-Karim Qasim, Iraqi army units descended on the king’s palace in Baghdad, according to historical accounts. Faisal ordered his royal guards to not put up a fight before he surrendered to the insurgents.

Faisal and his family were lined up in the palace courtyard and gunned down with machine guns. Faisal survived the slaughter, but died en route to a hospital.

After the uprising, Iraq passed a formal ban on the monarchy and a council of representatives from Iraq’s three ethnic groups took control of the country.