HT Brunch Cover Story: How to be a 21-year-old maharaja in the 21st century
Sawai Padmanabh Singh Bahadur of Jaipur talks about marrying traditions with today
It’s hard to believe that the tall, lithe figure sitting on the gold-upholstered sofa in the opulent, Sukh Niwas in the City Palace of Jaipur, is just 21 years old. The 303rd descendant of the Kachhawas of Jaipur, His Highness Maharaja Sawai Padmanabh Singh Bahadur of Jaipur, clad in a white linen shirt, white trousers and Rajasthani mojaris, looks more like a Hollywood star than a royal. He’s gained celebrity status, thanks to being on the cover of GQ Spain, walking the ramp for Dolce & Gabbana in Milan, and accompanying Reese Witherspoon’s daughter Ava to the debutant ball Le Bal in Paris. Not to mention his collaborations with international fashion brands like Cifonelli and Ralph Lauren, his appearances in the New York Post and his inclusion in a list of jetsetting world royals on Instagram. All this is normal for Padmanabh Singh (Pacho to his friends), a globetrotting student of art history at one of Rome’s oldest universities.