Molly met and married Marthanda Bhairava Tondiman in a whirlwind romance in Australia in 1915.
Although welcomed by the people of Pudukota, there was some question of Molly being poisoned, alongside the rudeness of the British Govt who refused to recognise her title, nor later would they recognise their son as heir to the principality.
Another Royal love story, Netflix...!
Further reading -
The Indian Royal who gave up his throne to marry an Australian socialite
HH Princess Melikoff was born as Pauline Curran into a Tasmanian family that benefited greatly as part-inheritors of the Tattersall's fortune.
When Pauline was old enough to do as she pleased - this was when her father had passed away and she was allegedly past her first bloom of youth *ahem* - she found herself a handsome Russian aristocrat Prince Maximilian Melikoff and put on a Royal Wedding in Hobart in 1926 where police had to halt traffic for three hours.
Again, Netflix, here's a true Royal wedding story.
Princess Melikoff established a trust fund on her death which supports marine conservation and rescues of stranded marine mammals.
Further Reading -
We don't often connect Aussies with Royalty - unless they're claiming to be Richard III's 14th generation granddaughter... - but there have been plenty of times Aussie-born ladies have caught the eye and hearts of Royalty.
Today is a quick run-down on Joan Falkiner, whose real life romance with Taley Muhammed Khan, Nawab of Palanpur, out-did any Barbara Cartland novel =
They met while he was recovering from a polo injury resulting in a real-life elopement to another country against her wealthy parents wishes to a man much older than herself, of a different religion, with a living first wife, a son her same age, scorned by the British (yeah, looking at you, Mountbatten!) denied her rightful title until the last.
Seriously, Netflix, this is oozing more romance than some of your latest offerings...!
Her granddaughter, Aaliya Suntana Babi is a celebrated Paleontologist known as "Dinosaur Princess".
Further reading -
1786 - Barron Field, who claimed to be the first poet of Australia *ahem* and was for a number of years an actual judge in New South Wales...
