Prince Victor Albert Jay Duleep Singh was the grandson of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Great ruler of Punjab, India and the godson of Queen Victoria. He was born on 10th July 1866 and named after Queen Victoria’s eldest grandson, Prince Albert Victor. Although born into a Sikh family, Prince Victor was christened on 20 March 1867 in the private chapel of Windsor Castle in the presence of Queen Victoria.
Prince Victor was the eldest son of Maharani Bamba Muller and the exiled Maharaja Duleep Singh of the Sikh Kingdom of Punjab, India. He grew up in the aristocratic surroundings of Elveden Hall alongside his two younger brothers and three sisters. He was home schooled during his early years and, after the age of ten, was sent to Eton College.
At Elveden Hall, during the holidays, Prince Victor would spend much of his time with his father in outdoor activities. At an early age he was introduced to shooting and soon developed into an accomplished marksman, participating in his father’s well known shooting parties, which were frequently attended by the Prince of Wales.
However, at a very early age Prince Victor faced the criticism directed at his father by the British Government. His father, Maharaja Duleep Singh had started questioning the British authorities, demanding his rightful claim to the Sikh Kingdom that had been taken from him. This created considerable controversy, and many newspapers in Britain portrayed the Maharaja as a traitor. The East India Company tightened its grip on Maharaja’s finances, forcing him to sell everything including Elveden Hall.
In 1886 Maharaja Duleep Singh set sail for India with his family but his plans unsettled both the British government in London and the British Raj in India. As a result, the Viceroy of India intercepted and arrested him along with his family at Aden, preventing his entry into India. Deeply disappointed, the Maharaja left for Paris in the hope of pursuing his cause and his family sailed back to England.
Back in England, Prince Victor made an effort to retain possession of Elveden Hall. He appealed to the India Office, but despite his representations, the estate was eventually sold. He also petitioned for the continuation of the annual allowance of £25,000 that had been granted to his father. However, the Government of British India settled on a considerably reduced allowance of £5,000 per year for him.
His mother, Maharani Bamba, depressed and unable to deal with ostracism, died of heavy drinking in 1887. Tragedy struck the family again in 1893 when Prince Edward, Victor’s younger brother, died at the age of thirteen. Later that same year, on 23 October his father, Maharaja Duleep Singh, also passed away in Paris.
Prince Victor’s education
In 1887, with a special dispensation from Queen Victoria, he was enrolled at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst in Cambridge. In December 1887, at the age of twenty-one, he left Sandhurst and was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the 1st Dragoon Guards. Later Prince Victor served as honorary aide-de-camp to Lieutenant-General Ross, commanding at Halifax, and was promoted to the rank of Captain in 1894.
Prince Victor’s marriage
At Cambridge Prince Victor had met Lady Anne Coventry, daughter of the 9th Earl of Coventry. Their relationship caused much of a scandal and her family strongly opposed the marriage. At the same time at Cambridge, Prince Victor had developed a habit of gambling. In 1888 he was issued with his first bankruptcy petition and by 1890 his financial affairs had started showing signs of mismanagement, often causing embarrassment within elite society.
Nevertheless, the wedding was made possible on 4th January 1898 at St Peter’s Church, Eaton Square, London with the support of his friend the Prince of Wales who overruled the Earl's objections, and with the blessing of Queen Victoria.
Following their marriage, Prince Victor was eager to show his wife the land of his ancestors and set off for India on their honeymoon. However, when they arrived at the port of Colombo, they were prevented from travelling any further, much as his father, Maharaja Duleep Singh who was not allowed to enter India. Prince Victor felt very humiliated by the treatment of the Palace towards him.
Soon afterwards, Queen Victoria invited Prince Victor and his wife to a ball at Buckingham Palace. There, Queen Victoria requested a private meeting with Lady Anne, during which Lady Anne was advised never to have children with Victor and to live abroad.
Like his father before him, Prince Victor was exiled. He moved to Paris with his wife.
On 7 June 1918, at the age of fifty-one, Prince Victor died of a heart attack in Paris and was laid to rest in the Anglican Cemetery above Monte Carlo. Because of the First World War, his brother and sisters were unable to attend his funeral.
Unfortunately, Prince Victor died without children and without ever seeing his homeland, the kingdom that had once belonged to his family.