Magic Alex, the Shah of Iran and the King of Spain
When asking the Shah for $10m to help tackle Spain’s socialist 'threat', Juan Carlos I suggested his 'personal friend' Alexis Mardas could act as a go-between.
In 1977, the King of Spain suggested using Alexis Mardas (‘Magic Alex’) as an intermediary in his request for $10m in financial support from the Shah of Iran.
The episode is recorded in the published diaries of Asadollah Alam, the former minister of the court to the Shah. In June 1977, Alam’s diaries include a letter from King Juan Carlos I of Spain to the Shah at a time when his country was transitioning to democracy.
Juan Carlos had only recently acceded to the throne, following the death of Spain’s dictator Franco in 1975. Designated for years as Franco’s chosen successor, he had publicly supported the authoritarian leader – but once in power, began to oversee liberal reforms.
The king’s belief in democracy, however, had its limits. In his letter to the Shah, he wrote that in the recent election, Spain’s socialist party had recently “obtained a higher than expected percentage of the vote”, posing “a serious threat to the country’s security and to the stability of the monarchy”.
On this basis, Juan Carlos submitted for the Shah’s “generous consideration the possibility of granting $10m as your personal contribution to the strengthening of the Spanish monarchy”.
This would be used to assist Spain’s centrist party, led by prime minister Adolfo Suarez, against the “Marxist” danger.
Juan Carlos added:
“Should my request meet with your approval, I take the liberty to recommend a visit to Tehran by my personal friend Alexis Mardas, who can take receipt of your instructions”.
In the Shah’s response the next month, he said he would comment on the issue “by word of mouth”: there is no indication that he provided the requested money1.
Magic Alex’s royal connections
Regardless of Juan Carlos’ motives, the letter suggests that Alexis Mardas did – as he claimed – have connections with such elevated figures. The king described Mardas as his “personal friend”, and evidently believed Alexis’ acquaintance with the Shah could help his cause.
This lines up with other evidence of Magic Alex’s international royal links. Last year while on the Greek island of Hydra, I was told that he had photographs of both Juan Carlos and the Shah in his house – and heard various other references to Mardas’ Iranian connections.
One person mentioned a particularly close Iranian friend called ‘Roudi’ (they also believed that an impressive mansion associated with Alexis had actually belonged to her). It seems very likely that this refers to Roudabeh Alam, the late daughter of Asadollah – the Shah’s minister whose diaries record the exchange above.
Juan Carlos’ letter shows how Mardas was able to develop influence by understanding what was important to people with power, and helping to solve their problems. Arguably, these were tactics he also used on the Beatles.
Read more:
The Shah and I: The Confidential Diary of Iran’s Royal Court, 1969-77. Asadollah Alam (Author), Alinaqi Alikhani (Editor).