The Spanish Flamenco Dancer Who Became Maharani of Kapurthala: Inside the Love and Life of Maharaja Jagatjit Singh and Anita Delgado

The rags-to-riches story of a Spanish flamenco dancer from a humble background who became the queen of an Indian Maharaja has long drawn attention. The marriage did not last, but Anita Delgado (8 February

1890 - 7 July 1962) was perhaps one of the most written about European women who married into India’s princely families.Maharaja Jagatjit Singh (24 November 1872 to 19 June 1949) of Kapurthala, famously known as the Francophile Maharaja, loved French culture to such an extent that the princely state of Kapurthala was known as the Paris of Punjab.The maharajas of princely states were wealthy, and featured in world's richest. They mingled with the European royalty and elite. Like many Indian rulers, he also had multiple wives. In 1906, Jagatjit Singh visited Madrid, Spain, for the royal wedding of Alfonso XIII and Victoria Eugenia. The 34-year-old Maharaja was at the Kursaal Fronton, a nightclub and casino, during his stay, when he saw a performance by a flamenco dancer. The dancer was Anita. The Maharaja, who already had wives back home in Kapurthala, was besotted with the 16-year-old dancer and decided to pursue her. The next day, he arrived at her house in a silver carriage to confess his love for her.Anita's parents were conservative Christians, and the much older Sikh Maharaja made them resist the proposal. But Anita belonged to a poor family, and the lure of money and a life of luxury was an offer even they could not resist.Spanish writer Javier Moro, who wrote Passion India in 2025, inspired by Anita's life, told Bhavya Dore for Mint that when people spoke about wealthy people, the reference to the Maharaja would be made. It was said, "wealthier than the Maharaja of Kapurthala".The Maharaja's secretary came with a formal proposal, and her parents were offered one lakh pounds for agreeing to the marriage. They accepted it.But to be a queen, Anita needed the finesse of one, and she was sent to Paris to be groomed and educated. The Maharaja had a palace in Paris called the Pavillon de Kapurthala, where Anita wrote about learning etiquette and languages in her memoir.In 1908, she travelled to Kapurthala and married Maharaja Jagatjit Singh according to Sikh rituals, becoming Maharani Prem Kaur of Kapurthala, the fifth wife.She adapted to life in Kapurthala and spent most of her time in the Maharaja's palace in Mussoorie. She could speak five languages and accompanied her husband on world tours. According to reports, she helped with First World War efforts by providing winter gear for Kapurthala troops and contributing to relief funds for orphans and widows.News of her beauty travelled the world. There is an anecdote about her visit to the princely state of Hyderabad and the Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan, being enamoured with her. He even gifted her emeralds, which reportedly turned out to be fake. The Nizam was known to be frugal.She had a son with the Maharaja, named Ajit Singh.Over time, things became ugly between the two, because the Maharaja was known for a roving eye. While she was expected to remain faithful to him, the Maharaja had mistresses.According to Akshay Chavan, in the article titled "Kapurthala’s Spanish Maharani", published in Peepul Tree, "It was in 1925, at the Hotel Savoy in London, that the Maharaja and Anita had a big, very public fight. The Maharaja accused her of infidelity and threatened to divorce her. Anita threw herself on the floor crying. There was such a scene created at the hotel that, of all people, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, a common friend of Anita and the Maharaja, who was staying at the same hotel, had to intercede on Anita’s behalf."They divorced after 18 years, and she returned to Europe.