Jaipur: Days after Rajmata Gayatri Devi's death, the battle over her legacy within the Jaipur royal family is out in the open. The grandson of the late Rajamata Gayatri Devi, Devraj, has now laid claim to her entire estate valued at over Rs 1,000 crore.
A slightly hesitant Devraj made an appearance before the media in Jaipur on Wednesday to stake his claim.
From the elegant Lily pool bungalow, to stakes in Rambagh and Jai Mahal Palace hotels and a number of other palaces and resorts, Devraj has claimed that his grandmother left all this to him and his sister in a will entrusted to his uncle Brigadier Bhawani Singh, the present Maharaja of Jaipur.
In a letter circulated to the media, Devraj expressed hope that the rest of the family would accept his claim. That is where the catch lies as Gayatri Devi's other two stepsons could contest Devraj's claim.
After Devraj's parents got divorced and his father died, his mother returned to her home country Thailand. A bitter Rajmata then began to rely increasingly on her other two stepsons Prithvi and Jai Singh. It was Prithvi Singh who brought her back from London to Jaipur before she died.
It was at the beautiful Lily Pool bungalow that Rajamata Gayatri Devi spent most of her life, and now her grandson has staked claim to her entire estate. The twists and turns of this legal battle will be interesting to watch.