President Emmanuel Macron of France led the tributes on Wednesday to the Islamic spiritual leader, Aga Khan IV, who died in Lisbon on Tuesday night at the age of 88.

"The Prince Aga Khan devoted his life to the promotion of peace, tolerance and development," said Macron who in 2018 awarded him the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour – France’s highest national medal in recognition of his philanthropic work.

"His commitment to dialogue between cultures will remain a source of inspiration for us all."

Symbol of peace

UN Secretary-General António Guterres described him as a symbol of peace, tolerance and compassion in our troubled world.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hailed him as a very good friend. "He was an extraordinarily compassionate global leader," he added.

Prince Karim al-Husseini was regarded as a direct descendent of the Prophet Mohammed and given nearly divine status as the 49th hereditary imam of the Ismaili sect of Shia Islam.

Born in Geneva on 13 December 1936 to Prince Aly Khan and the former British socialite Joan Yarde-Buller, he was bequeathed the title of Aga Khan in 1957 at the age of 20 by his grandfather, Sultan Mahomed Shah, who wanted the honour to skip a generation. Shah said he wanted a young man as Aga Khan to cope the new age.

The prince, a student at Harvard University in the United States at the time of his elevation, traversed that landscape on a dazzling array of luxury jets and yachts.

He represented Iran in the skiing event at the 1964 Winter Olympics and five years later married the British model Sarah Croker Poole with whom he had three children.

Read more on RFI English

Read also:
The man who's fought 40 years to protect the Camargue horse [Video]
Leading French racehorse trainers arrested in doping investigation
French police baffled by wave of violent attacks on horses across France