SAVOY HOTEL TRAGEDY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3618, 17 July 1923, Page 19

SAVOY HOTEL TRAGEDY.

EGYPTIAN PRINCE SHOT. PRINCESS ARRESTED FOR MURDER. LONDON, July 10. Ali Kamel Fahmy Bey, an Egyptian Prince, who had been ,staying at the Savoy Hotel for a few weeks, and who 'was wall known in West lEnd social circles, was found fatally shot in his rooms at the hotel early this morning. The Princess, who is a Frenchwoman, was arrested and charged with murder. Prince Fahmy Bey was 23 years of age, and his wife, who was 32, was a striking beauty. They had been married less than a year. The Princess dined with her husband yesterday evening at the Savoy, and the couple were apparently on the best of terms. The tragedy occurred after midnight. A member of the night staff, hearing shots, hurried to the Prince’s rooms. He found the Prince outside in the corridor in his night clothes. He. died before he reached the hospital. There was a Browning pistol on the floor and bullet marks on the wall of the corridor, while there were bloodstains on the Princess’s evening gown in the bedroom. When she was charged the Princess sat in the dock in a state of collapse, weeping bitterly. A police witness said that the Princess’s doctor told him that the accused was about to go to a nursing home for an operation. Prince Fahmy met his wife at the Hotel Majestic in Paris. They were mutually attracted and were constantly together. The French woman left Paris suddenly, and the Prince abandoned hope of seeing her again. A few months later, while out walking at Deauville, he saw her, and confessed his love, and eventually won her consent to an engagement. Returning to Egypt, he secured the consent of his family to the marriage. The Frenchwoman journeyed to Egypt, where she was presented to the Prince’s relatives, and she agreed to become a Mohammedan. The marriage at Cairo in December was a brilliant affair, hundreds of guests being lavishly entertained. The first months of the honeymoon were spent in the Prince's palace on the banks of the Nile. The Prince and his wife were prominent at Luxor, and during the Tutankhamen season they entertained Lord Carnarvon. The Prince’s income was estimated at £IOO,OOO. He was a generous supporter of charitable and educational institutions in Egypt. A NOTORIOUS SPENDTHRIFT. LONDON, July 11. Fahmy Bey was a notorious spendthrift. His father left ms entire fortune to him, but he soon dissipated it. He had been for months borrowing on the security of his Egyptian estates. He possessed a most luxurious house in Cairo. He was fond of jewellery, which he displayeu ostentatiously. He was vain and ignorant, and became a prey to sycophants. Though usually styled “ prince,” he did not possess the title. VERDICT OF WILFUL MURDER. LONDON, July 12. At the inquest on Ali Kernel Fahmy Bey _ his secretary, Said Enany, stated that the deceased was 22 years of age. His income was £40,000. He married a French widow in Cairo in December, and arrived in London on July 1. The couple lived most unhappily, said witness, and had frequent violent quarrels. The family tried to persuade Ali Kernel to secure a separation. On Monday they had a violent dispute. The wife intended leaving the next day for Paris to undergo an operation, but the husband wished her to remain in Loudon. On night the deceased complained to witness that his wife refused to open the bedroom door. Witness was later awakened by the telephone, and a lady’s voice said : “Come quickly. I have shot Ali. Ido not know how I did it.” The couple frequently smacked each other on the face. Each had a pistol beside the bed. On Monday they insulted each other in the sight of the waiters at lunch, and they quarrelled still more violently at supper after returning from the theatre. Witness said that the conductor of the orchestra at lunch at the Savoy asked the lady if he should play. She replied: “It is no good because my husband has threatened to murder me within 24 hours. ’ ’ A verdict was returned of wilful murder against the wife.