King Charles ‘deeply saddened’ after death of ‘personal friend’ the Aga Khan

King Charles is understood to be “deeply saddened” over the death of billionaire spiritual leader, the Aga Khan, who was “a personal friend of many years,” according to a royal source.

News of his death was announced on the Aga Khan Foundation website via a statement revealing that the 49th hereditary imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, died on Tuesday in Lisbon “surrounded by his family.”

It’s understood that the monarch has been in touch with the Aga Khan’s family in a private capacity.

The Aga Khan, who became the spiritual leader of the world’s millions of Ismaili Muslims at the age of 20, passed away aged 88.

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He became the Aga Khan IV in October 1957 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. “I was an undergraduate who knew what his work for the rest of his life was going to be,” he said in a 2012 interview with Vanity Fair magazine. “I don’t think anyone in my situation would have been prepared.”

The Aga Khan was a long-term friend of the late Queen Elizabeth II with the pair attending Royal Ascot.

In his lifetime, he became a leading owner and breeder of racehorses in the UK, France and Ireland. Notably, he was the owner of Shergar, the Derby-winning racehorse who was kidnapped from his Irish stud farm in 1983 and never seen again.

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The late Queen hosted a dinner party in the Aga Khan’s honour at Buckingham Palace in 2008. Treated as a head of state, the Aga Khan was given the title of “His Highness” by the late Queen in July 1957, two weeks after his grandfather the Aga Khan III unexpectedly made him heir to the family’s 1,300-year dynasty as leader of the Ismaili Muslim sect.

His charities ran hundreds of hospitals, education and cultural projects, primarily in the developing world. There are numerous hospitals bearing his name in countries such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Tajikistan.

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Beyond this, he also set up an architecture prize and programmes for Islamic architecture at MIT and Harvard, where he was a student.

He is survived by his children Princess Zahra, Prince Rahim, Prince Hussain and Prince Aly Muhammad, and four grandchildren.

A busy week for King Charles

On Tuesday, His Majesty attended an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace for Dame Anna Wintour and artist Tracey Emin.

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Former Vogue editor Anna was honoured with the Order of the Companions of Honour for services to fashion, while Tracey was made a Dame Commander for services to the arts.

Tracey, 61, is a member of the Royal Academy of Arts and is best known for her work titled Everyone I Have Ever Slept With 1963-1995, and My Bed – an installation at the Tate Gallery.