The European Maharani
White women marrying men from royal families of India, especially when the men had several wives and children was a daring experiment. Some of these women were treated with incredible deference by the rest of the royal family and also by the native population. This book reveals the traditions and culture in all its richness and vitality, and how the maharaja and his European bride made it work. Some of these marriages were happy and lasted a long time and some did not. Some of them adapted to the Indian culture and remained loyal to their husbands and stood by the kingdom. They found true love. Others used their husbands to live in the lap of luxury; a lavish life style both in India and Europe; a big circle of famous Indian and European friends; British Royalty, and fabulous riches framed by the beauty and culture. These women enjoyed the best life could offer, but also handled the difficult times in their personal lives with mixed results. These are amazing stories which reads like fairy tales. It is highly engaging and written with passion for history.
Researching from many firsthand sources, memoirs, letters, photographs, and diaries, author Coralie Younger has provided a splendid picture of European women who married Indian maharajas and princes much to the displeasure of European media, their own people and the British Empire. It was distressing for India office, the administrative body of British Imperial administration. It had to wrestle with the idea that interracial marriage is a carnal sin and sons of this marriage will be hard to deal with as princes. They also had to worry about the consequences of mass uprising against British authority if they had interfered in the life of a maharaja. This is a collection of compelling real-life dramas full of adventure, romance, and heartbreak in the most complex colony of the British Empire.
Stories included in this book are; Bamba Muller (married Maharaja Duleep Singh of Punjab); Ada Douglas Wetherill (married to Maharaja Duleep Singh of Punjab); Florrie Bryan (married Maharaja Rajendar Singh of Patiala); Olive Monolescue (married Maharaja of Sind); Anita Delgado (married Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Karputhala); Eugenie Grosupova (married Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Karputhala); Dolly Parnell (married Prince Nasir Ali Khan of Rampur); Elsie Thompson (married Maharaja Gopal Narain Singh of Tikari); Molly Fink (married Raja Martanda Bhairava Tondaiman of Padukkottai); Morag Murray (married Syed Abdullah of Koh Fort); Nancy Miller (married Maharaja Tukoji Rao Holkar of Indore); Molly Eslip (married Prince Ali Khan of Jaora); Stella Mudge (married Maharaja Paramjit Singh of Karputhala); Marguerite Lawler (married Maharaja Yeshwant Rao Holkar of Indore); Euphemia Crane (married Maharaja Yeshwant Rao Holkar of Indore); Joan Falkiner (married Nawab Taley Mohamed Khan of Palanpur); Sandra McBryde (married Maharaja Hanwant Singh of Jodhpur); Yvonne Martin (married Nawab Mohamed Mubarak Abbasi); Annabella Parker (married Maharaja Bhagavat Singh of Udaipur); and Helen Simmons (married Nizam Mukarram Jah Bahadur of Hyderabad).
A brief summary of the book is as follows:
Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Karputhala, the son of the powerful ruler Ranjit Singh, married Anita Delgado, a teenage dancer from Madrid, Spain. They move into the royal palace at Karputhala, but when the maharaja's health failed, his wife turned to the arms of one of his sons from another marriage. When she was caught, Anita was banished to Europe with a generous settlement. A movie entitled; “The Black Prince” based on Javier Moro’s book “Passion India,” was planned in 2006. Actress Penelope Cruz brought the rights for the book, but never got off the feet because the Karputhala Royal family brought a law-suit alleging the story is fabricated.
The women who impressed me are; Georgina (Gina) May Egan (married Maharaja Jagaddipendra Narayan of Cooch-Behar,) a ravishingly beautiful woman who possessed wisdom, strength and courage to negotiate the complicated etiquette and political intrigue of the royal court with grace and style. She had a very difficult job of fitting in the family with her mother-in-law, Maharani Indira Devi and sister-in-law, Gayathri Devi, the Maharani of Jaipur. The marriage was kept secret for three years from her dowager mother-in-law.
Helen Simmons married Nizam Jah Bahadur in 1979 and had two children with him. They lived in Hyderabad and Europe and finally moved to Australia. By 1986 she became disillusioned in her life; in addition her friends were taking advantage of her riches and generosity. She had grown distant from her husband and became very outgoing with several male friends. Her life tumbled downwards when one of her young male lovers gave her the HIV in 1987, and sadly passed away in 1989. During 1980s AIDS disease was a death sentence and AZT tablets helped her to survive for two years.
Annabella Parker married Maharana Bhagavat Singh of Udaipur, a family of noble traditions and proud ancestors. He was a prince of incomparable Rajput honor. Annabella was looking for love and connection to rich and famous. She had access to the famous jewels of Udaipur but chose a simple chiffon tie-dyed sari without jewelry. She had limited influence in the affairs of the royal family, but she loved her husband and they were together for 18 years. She even accepted that she could not attend any princely states as couple. “Purdah” was strictly observed in orthodox Rajput states. When she was visiting England to nurse her ill mother, she also found that her husband also became gravely ill and passed away. Soon after his death, Annabella returned to Udaipur and she had to practice an austere life of a widow in the conservative kingdom. With her husband gone, she felt she lost everything, she was devastated and went back to England. In 1988 she was given the opportunity to collect her valuable jewelry, expensive clothes and her belongings. She did not wish to return to Udaipur.
Yvonne Martin married Nawab Abbasi of Bahawalpur and she was one of the three British ladies he had married. He had separate quarters in his palace for his European wives and Indian wives. But they never knew about each other. When she came to Bahawalpur in 1952, it was swept with politics of Islamic Pakistan. When she suspected that the Nawab was plotting her death (he was responsible for the death of his wife Linda Sayce.) She felt for her safety and escaped to England.
Marguerite Lawler met Yeshwant Rao Holkar in Los Angeles when he was severely weakened from drugs and alcohol addiction, chronic insomnia and weighed about 90 pounds. He was close to death. The maharaja’s addiction to drug arose from ready availability of poppy seeds in his kingdom. In 1938, she divorced her husband Paul Brannson and married maharaja and moved to Indoor. Later he built a prison-like mansion at Santa Ana, California, for her and his daughter from prior marriage, at an astronomical scale. In 1943 he convinced her to give him a divorce and he remarried Fay. The British Empire noted this marriage with disdain. This was founded on his addiction to drugs and her love for his jewelry. Their son Richard was never recognized by British Imperial Power as the heir to throne, instead they bestowed the kingdom to Usha Holkar his daughter from an Indian wife.
Stella Mudge was a wayward girl since she was in her early teens. Maharaja Paramjit saw her when she was 18 in Paris when he was with his wife Brinda. He was instantly smitten. He was a man who was more concerned about his personal enjoyment and entertainment than the welfare of his people noted one of the members of British Authority. In 1919 Stella visited India as his mistress and maharaja wanted to be discreet about his relationship but she blew the cover and regarded everyone in the family is a spy and despised them. In 1937, she married Maharaja Paramjit Singh according to Sikh traditions and she wore diamond studded jewelry fashioned by Cartier. They travelled frequently to France and England and stayed in the best hotels and she wore the best jewelry designed by the best in Paris and London. She broke into the treasury of the kingdom of Karputhala so hard that the assets were disappearing faster than anyone can imagine. But Stella was brazen and did not care when British aristocracy and the Royal Family did not include her in any social activities. People of Karputhala despised her intensely.
After her husband’s death she visited England but she was not happy and returned to India. Stella kept her jewels in her sister’s storeroom and loft and also in many Swiss Bank Safety Boxes. She was living alone in Shimla and took to heavy drinking and gained pounds and started May-December type of liaison with a young male lover working at the hotel and some women too. This is the first time in her life men started taking advantage of her for material gains. Addiction to alcohol made her weak and remained unconscious for days, and she died in 1984. The maharani of Karputhala was buried in Delhi unceremoniously. In 1988 her jewelry and treasures were auctioned off in Paris. In 1997 a British TV program “For love and Money” chronicled her life and asked the viewers if they know where the rest of her treasures are.
Molly Eslip was married to the prince Ali Khan of Jaora. Mollie spent lavish amounts of money and also let her sister spend the money that belonged to the kingdom. She was not accepted by the Muslim subjects. To escape her difficult circumstances, she visited Mussoorie and met with other European and socialized with them. She could wear Wester cloths and dance with men. After their marriage fell apart, the Nawab of Jaora helped her and her three children settle down in England.
Georgina (Gina) May Egan of Cooch-Behar, Nancy Miller of Indore and Joan Falkiner of Palanpur disproved the British theory that only white women of “lower Class” marry Indian princes. Nancy Miller was born in Seattle, Washington and came from a well-educated family. She met Tukoji Rao Holkar in Switzerland and fell in love with him. Despite the fact he had two wives, she accepted that fact and got the blessing of her family. She converted to Hinduism and used the name Sharmistha Devi. British did their best to stop the wedding and they even blackmailed him warning that his allowance would be stopped, but it did not work. They were married in March 1928. The marriage was conducted in Maratha Hindu style in front Indian and European guests. Tukoji’s annual income exceeded the combined incomes of kings of Denmark, Norway and Bulgaria. They had four daughters together and lived in the lap of luxury. She owned some of most expensive jewelry and lived in one of the most elegant palaces in India. She played a minor role in Indore state affairs and also got accustomed to the culture and the people. She was very energetic and charming woman and entertained numerous Indian and European guests. When her step-son married Fay Crane, she became a friend and confidante to the younger women and lent a shoulder to cry on when things got tough for the young woman. As the Maharani, Nancy was an unqualified success. In his last years, Tukoji became ill and broken hip, Nancy nursed him and stayed close to him. She also nursed the daughter of senior Maharani when she was diagnosed with tuberculosis. She remained loyal to Tukoji until his death in May 1978. She was devastated at his death and remained in India and did not wish to return to United States. Five years later, it was rumored that one of her daughters, Sharada Raje had poisoned her mother to death and then ensued bitter struggle among her daughters for the family’s treasures. It was one of the best interracial marriages in Indian history.
Morag Murray married Syed Abdullah after she met him in Edinburgh when he was a student. Morag faced stiff opposition to her marriage from family and friends. But she was not going to the queen of any place of importance, the marriage went on with some opposition from Abdullah’s father. Syed was devoted to Morag and was very affectionate to her.
On one occasion when the fort was under attacked, Syed and his men panicked, Morag took advantage of Clansmen’s superstition and wore long white flowing robes and pretended to be a white mythical lady, a figure both revered and feared. This caused consternation among attackers and the coup failed. Morag’s dangerous adventure took place in Snake Valley while travelling through a barren territory she was captured by a ferocious brigand who said he loved her and intent on marrying her. He locked her up in a room until she marry him, she eventually agreed and even became more resourceful. At the first opportunity, she escaped.
Morag liked simple things in life and she wore Scottish pearls even when she was a guest of another kingdom, instead of wearing glittering jewels. She disliked Shimla and other places where mainly Europeans and Indian royalty hung out. She thought that there was too much snobbery. She was also annoyed by the questions from her Scottish friends about her adapted land in which she had developed deep respect. She detested the ignorance on the part of her family and friends who would pry her for some juicy harem stories. Morag also despised institutional bigotry promoted by the British Imperial Machine. She yearned for the day when East and West would meet on an equal footing. Knowing she was out of step with popular opinion she made an impassioned plea to end racial intolerance and inequality.
Martanda Bhairava Tondaiman of Padukkottai and was installed on gaddi in May 1886. He was very diligent, and good at sports. He started travelling to Europe and United States. He had been known to have affairs with European women and at one time was engaged to be married to an American. British authorities warned him of making alliances with white women. He obviously ignored them, and when he was in Australia, he was a frequent visitor to races at Royal Randwick and was welcomed by numerous social gatherings. It was then he met Molly Fink in a restaurant. The Maharaja proudly wrote to Lord Pentland of Madras that he was going to marry and Molly Fink but Pentland was caustic and wrote back that he marry a Hindu woman. He refused. This made King George V angry and Viceroy Lard Harding was terse. This would mean that all that there would be no hopes for any social life in Australia or in India. She was however received a royal welcome from her subjects and treated well in the royal palace. There was much entertainment for the new Rani. The British Authority did not confer her with any official title and did not include in any official invitations. In the meantime Molly had a baby boy and the couple chose to live in Sydney, Australia, until British confer his wife the honor and title she deserved. A private audience with King George V did not change things much and the monarchy was unwilling to accept that Molly’s son will be the future Maharaja. This disheartened Martanda and eventually he went to live in Cannes, France with enormous amount jewelry and wealth. There the couple made friendship with members of British royal family and British aristocracy. Molly patronized the finest courtiers of the day but remained faithfully close to Maharaja and Indian traditions. In May 1927, Martanda became very ill and passed away at the age of 58. As a Hindu and the ruling prince of an Indian state Martanda had to be buried at Pudukkottai in India. Molly begged the British for her and son to accompany the body of Maharaja but they refused anticipating that there would be an upsurge of sympathy for her young son to be future Maharaja. And this would have also caused popular resentment against the British. It was final that Molly was not allowed to go to India and British Royalty had the “I told you so” moment. India Office of the British wing gloated at the fallacy of interracial marriage. As a mark of respect to her husband, she wore traditional attire for a year. Many of her wealthy friends were impressed. Many wealthy men including Prince Agha Khan were begging for her hand in marriage, she turned them all. Moly was also a perfect mother and a role model for her young son. During the latter part of her life, she became an alcoholic, and depressed. In November 1967. Molly passed away due to bowel cancer and she was interred at Golders Green Crematorium in London next to her husband Martanda and 17 years later their son was laid to rest next to them.
Australian actress Elsie Thompson met Gopal Narain (Rajey) Singh, the Maharajah of Tikari in Calcutta. Rajey studies at Oxford before returning to India. In May 1909, he married Elsie according to the rites of Arya Samaj and she converted into Hinduism and took the name of Sita Devi. Elsie wore traditional Hindu dress and accessorized herself with jewelry. Rajey was very well liked and a very good sportsman and very generous. His hospitality was legendary and Elsie loved to entertain his guests. Officially British did not honor her as Maharani of Tikari but took part many unofficial activities. In 1911 Delhi Durbar at which King George V and Queen Mary presided, Rajey had a major role in many social events. Both of them had a very outgoing life styles and the marriage was breaking apart when Elsie became very domineering and started to control his finances. When she met another Australian businessman she left Maharaja after getting a hefty settlement. Elsie suffered from mental disorder and in Nov 1967 she passed away in a mental institution in Australia. There were no mourners and no relatives were found. Rajey had died in 1958 and she never knew about it. It was an unmarked grave until when her niece found about it six years later, she had a plaque engraved “Sita Devi, Maharani of Tikari.”
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