Marguerite Alibert was a woman set on getting what she wanted out of life. She was raised a very poor girl and was sent away from her family at a very young age to go and live with the Sisters of Mary. When she became pregnant at 16 and lost the job they had set up for her she was left all alone in the world and had to turn to sex work to make a living. She ended up being one of the most popular and desired courtesans in Paris, but that reputation would not remain spotless for long. Soon Marguerite, after scamming multiple men… like Prince Edward VIII, would meet a young Egyptian “Prince.” Their life was set up to be picture perfect, but all was not as it seemed. Just six months into their marriage, one of them would end up murdered.

Thank you to David White for research assistance!

Resources:

Aberdeen Press and Journal. 1923. "Fahmy Trial." Aberdeen Press and Journal, September 14: 8.

Nottingham Evening Post. 1923. "Fahmy's Fate." Nottingham Evening Post, September 14: 1.

Rose, Andrew. 2013. The Woman Before Wallis: Prince Edward, the Parisian Courtesan, and the Perfect Murder. London: Picador.

Shaw, Charles Gray. 1923. "Why a Woman Can Madly Love the Man She Kills for Hate." San Francisco Examiner, August 26.

The Daily Mail. 1923. "Madame Fahmy Set Free." The Daily Mail, September 15: 4.

The Dundee Courier. 1923. "Story of Broken Romance Behind London Hotel Tragedy." The Dundee Courier, September 11: 5.

—. 1923. "Warning Sent to "Princess"." The Dundee Courier, September 12: 5.

The Evening Telegraph. 1923. "No Will Left By Fahmy." The Evening Telegraph, September 17: 2.

World Economic Forum. 2014. Open borders: WW1's forgotten casualty. June 27. Accessed October 20, 2022. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2014/06/open-borders-ww1s-forgotten-casualty/.

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)

Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)

Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley

Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally

Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)

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