Well according to Wikipedia, Kendra was born on August 5,
1988 in Seattle, Washington. She
graduated from high school with an Associate’s degree that she acquired through
a dual-credit program before she headed off to Portland State University where
she majored in sociology. Her modeling
career started with a lucky fluke. She
was discovered on MySpace by Ford Models who invited her to enter their
Supermodel of the World contest. She
didn’t win but she landed a contract with the agency after the
competition. Since then her career has
taken off. She’s appeared on the covers
of Elle
France, Vogue China, and Italian magazine Amica. She has also
walked the catwalk for designers L’Wren Scott, Valentino, Lanvin, Christian
Lacroix, and Isaac Mizrahi. No doubt you
have seen her in ads for Calvin Klein, Diane von Furstenberg, and The Limited. Over
the course of her career she has been dubbed “the next Cindy Crawford.” Kendra made headlines in 2009 when she was
sued by Ford Models for switching agencies.
After a two year legal battle, she was forced to pay Ford over $150,000
in royalties. According to the Aga
Khan’s website, she has a strong interest in arts and architecture.
The royal bridegroom Prince Rahim has spent a great deal of
time in the United States. He graduated
from Philips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts before attending Brown
University. He also has an executive management degree from the Navarra Business
School in Barcelona. He now works for
the Aga Khan Development Network where he is involved with poverty reduction
efforts.
Prince Rahim's grandfather, Prince Aly Khan, was briefly
married to actress Rita Hayworth. Kendra is not the first model to marry into
the family. Prince Rahim’s younger
brother Prince Hussain married American model Kendra White in 2006, and the
Prince’s mother was an English model named Sally Croker-Poole before her
marriage to the Aga Khan in 1969. After
their marriage, she took the name Princess Salimah Aga Khan. No doubt Kendra too will take a new name
after she marries Prince Rahim. Whether
or not she will continue with her career after her marriage has not been
determined. While Kendra will be a princess when she marries, her title will be
more ceremonial than other Americans' who married leaders of actual nations and
kingdoms.
The Aga Khan was conferred his royal title by Britain’s
Queen Elizabeth just as his grandfather received his "His Highness"
award from Queen Victoria. While the Aga Khan doesn’t rule over a kingdom per
se, he is the spiritual leader of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, and a direct
descendent of the prophet Mohammed. He
is however fabulously wealthy, with a fortune estimated of at least $100
billion dollars. Although the title of
Aga Khan is not necessarily handed down from father to son, it is expected that
one day Prince Rahim will become the Aga Khan V.
