Biography
His father, Prince Ali Khan, died in an accident in 1960. His mother is the English Baroness Joan Yarde-Buller. Aga Khan IV grew up in Switzerland for the first few years. As an English citizen, he attended schools in South Africa, Nairobi and London. He completed his high school diploma in Le Rosey on Lake Geneva. He then studied economics, oriental languages and history at Harvard and Cambridge until 1959. In 1957, the Aga Khan succeeded his grandfather, Prince Aga Khan III. in his capacity as leader of the religious community of the Shiite Ismailis, who recognized him as the 7th Imam Ismael. He competed in alpine ski races, including the 1964 Olympic downhill skiing and giant slalom. In 1969, the Aga Khan married the British and divorcee Lady Crichton-Stuart, Sarah Frances Croker Poole, who was later known as Princess Salima. This marriage resulted in daughter Zahra in 1970, son Rahim in 1971 and second son Hussain in 1974. In 1995, the Aga Khan divorced.
In 1998 he married the German Princess Gabriele zu Leiningen, who from then on bears the name Begum ("Princess") Inaara Gabriele Aga Khan. Since then, Aga Khan has supported a large number of development programs, including in the areas of health, education and architecture, primarily through his private development aid network Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN). The Aga Khan's fortune can only be estimated. However, with an estimated personal fortune of 7 billion euros, he is one of the richest people in the world. He derives most of his income from church taxes. Ten percent of his creditors' income is paid to him. He also owns numerous golf courses, yacht clubs, hotels and real estate. Economically, Aga Khan was involved in airlines and hotel chains around the world. From the income from investments, Aga Khan maintains numerous institutions such as the "Aga Khan University" or the "Aga Khan Medical Center" as well as a fund for economic development.
In addition to his spiritual office, he is a successful investor and businessman. He supports numerous charitable and social projects. In October 2005, Prince Aga Khan was awarded the "Quadriga" in Berlin for establishing the world's largest private foundation for development aid. In 2006, Karim Aga Khan was honored with the Tutzing Evangelical Academy's Tolerance Prize for his "services... to understanding between Islam and the Western world" and for "his humanitarian commitment." In 2014, the marriage to Inaara Gabriele Aga Kha was divorced in France after the Cour d'appel de Paris confirmed the divorce agreement. Aga Khan lives in a chateau near Paris. Aga Khan also achieved great popularity through his horse racing stable, in which he keeps and breeds the most valuable animals in this sport.
