The prince left Iran in 1977, aged 17, to undergo air force training in America. Two years later, his father Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was deposed during the Islamic Revolution and the royal family has been in exile ever since.

Following his father’s death in 1980, the prince declared himself the new shah of Iran in exile, although as Iran’s royal family was a constitutional monarchy, he was never formally appointed.

Dressed in a smart dark suit, with an expensive-looking watch adorning his wrist, the prince’s retinue refer to him as “his majesty”. So do his most devoted followers among the several-million-strong Iranian diaspora.

He has previously said he has no aspirations to restore the monarchy in Iran, but he remains an important figurehead for opposition figures and Iranians in exile.

It is a role he takes seriously, saying “we” as he discusses Iranians’ plight during the interview.

Over the past few decades, he made rallying opposition against Iran’s theocratic regime his life’s work, regularly travelling across Europe and America to campaign for a secular and democratic Iran and advocate for its oppressed citizens.

He became visibly frustrated when asked about ongoing diplomatic attempts with Tehran.

“There’s still some people in the Western world who think that they still have that dialogue within the status quo and are hoping ‘maybe we can revive this deal’ or ‘maybe we can cut this agreement’,” he said, leaning forward in his chair and using hand gestures to stress his point.

“This is basically kicking the can down the road,” he added. “Diplomacy has failed. Appeasement has failed. Any continuation of the same, frankly, is insanity.”