Meet India’s youngest king, also a polo player!

The days of kings and kingdoms are long past. But the old glory still surrounds royal families of India. Among all of them, the youngest king (without a kingdom, though) is Padmanabh Singh, or rather, the Maharaja Sawai Padmanabh Singh of Jaipur. Now 22, he was ‘crowned’ in a ceremony keeping to the traditions in 2016 when he turned 18. He had become king in 2011 after the death of his grandfather, Sawai Man Singhji Bahadur. Let’s get to know a bit more about the grandson, Padmanabh, today.  

How did the royal prince grow up? 
Padmanabh’s childhood was not as rosy as we might imagine. At the tender age of 4, he had to leave his home in Jaipur to go to boarding school of the prestigious Mayo College in Ajmer. Mayo College is a favourite among Indian royals, so he was with peers. When he was 18, Padmanabh was crowned king. His father, Narendra Singh is not a royal descendant, but Padmanabh’s mother is a princess. That qualified him for being a king.  

Padmanabh then left home again, this time to study liberal arts at New York University in New York City. He has mentioned in interviews that he loved sushi and Netflix, like any college kid. He also said he had spent the coldest part of the New York winter in the apartment with friends, binge-watching The Game of Thrones! In September 2018, Padmanabh went to Rome, Italy and studied art further.  

What does the prince do? 
Young Padmanabh is also a professional polo player. He won the Indian Open Polo Cup and became the youngest winner ever. He then went on to become another ‘youngest’, this time for the World Cup Polo Team. Padmanabh is serious about the sport and is looking at more accolades.  

Interestingly, Prince Padmanabh is also fond of fashion. His style is calm, dignified, elegant, and quite cool for a royal. He has a growing Instagram following, with fans liking his style and his travel photography. Padmanabh has walked the ramp as a fashion model for famous brand Dolce & Gabbana in 2018 in Milan, Italy.