Queen Victoria tried to match her with a fellow Indian royal, it didn’t work

Princess Victoria Gowramma of Coorg, the Indian princess baptised at Buckingham Palace in 1852 with Queen Victoria as her godmother, was a natural socialite, described as elegant, jovial and doted upon by the Queen. In the hopes of furthering Christianity in India, Queen Victoria decided to try her hand at matchmaking.

Her chosen candidate was Maharaja Duleep Singh, another of the Queen’s adopted godchildren, who had been exiled to Britain at the age of 15 and converted to Christianity in 1853. According to C P Belliappa’s book ‘Victoria Gouramma: The Lost Princess of Coorg,’ the Palace attempted to bring the two together in marriage. But neither was attracted to the other, and they ended up calling each other ‘honorary’ siblings instead, according to a report by The Better India.

Disillusioned with the royal family’s plans for her, Gowramma instead found love with a 50-year-old army colonel, John Campbell. Their marriage soon fell apart amid his gambling habits and interest in her wealth. In 1861, she gave birth to a daughter, Edith, and effectively became a single mother, with Campbell maintaining the role in title only.

Despite being part of the royal family, Queen Victoria’s adopted godchildren lived as outsiders owing to their skin colour. Gowramma’s health deteriorated secretly as she kept up appearances, and she died of tuberculosis in 1864, a few months short of her 23rd birthday.

Image: Wikimedia Commons/by Roger Fenton