King Tribhuvan with the Egyptian president Mohamed Naguib
The man lighting the cigarette of king Tribhuvan in the photo is the then president of Egypt Mohamed Naguib. This photo was probably taken in early January of 1954. On the 11th of January 1954, King Tribhuvan embarked on his first journey to Europe through Bombay where he boarded a ship named S.S. Victoria 111 that belonged to Italian Trieste lines which took him to Europe via Italy.
King Tribhuvan spent 11 weeks in Europe during his first visit to Switzerland for his treatment. His doctors advised him to make a “change of air” and take his mind off things. Hence he spent some weeks in Italy and France after his stay in Switzerland. He went to Rome and finally reached Paris on 7th December 1953. The king was welcomed by the then French President Vincent Auriol. Two days later the king was invited to the presidential palace where a luncheon was organized in the honor of the Nepalese monarch. The King was awarded the highest honor of France, “Grand Croix de la Légion d’honneur” by the President in the same ceremony.
After spending a few weeks in Paris the King went to another French city called Nice. Since the King had some health issues while traveling on a ship, he wished to come back on a plane. After spending a few days in Nice, he took off and landed in Cairo on his way back to Nepal. He then boarded Air India International and arrived in Bombay on the 5th of January 1954.
This picture was taken during his stay in Cairo by his Royal Photographer Kaji Krishnalal Chitrakar. This picture has been sourced from the picture library of the “Kaji Krishnalal Chitrakar Trust”
Source: Santosh Khaderi
