This episode concludes the series on the Duleep Singh sisters, focusing on the tragic lives of Princess Pauline and Princess Irene—the daughters of the Maharaja's second wife, Ada Wetherall. Unlike their half-sisters, they were rejected by Queen Victoria and the British establishment due to their mother's low social class, and both died alone and forgotten, highlighting the devastating intersection of class, race, and mental illness in Victorian society.
Summarized by Podsumo
The episode focuses on Princess Pauline and Princess Irene, the daughters of Maharaja Duleep Singh and his second wife, Ada Wetherall, a former chambermaid or prostitute.
Unlike their half-sisters, Pauline and Irene were rejected by Queen Victoria and the British establishment due to their mother's low social class, and were officially referred to as 'the two of the second family'.
Irene suffered from severe depression and epilepsy, was subjected to electroshock therapy, and ultimately committed suicide in 1926, leaving a note saying 'I am homeless'.
After Irene's death, her half-sister Bamba fought her will in court, hiring a lawyer who publicly humiliated Irene's reputation, calling her 'black blood'.
Pauline died alone of tuberculosis in a French sanatorium in 1941, with no family present, and was buried in an unmarked grave.
"I am homeless. My nerves have prevented me from continuing my studies, but I have grasped my object. I've been staying a week at Monte Carlo, but here I only play the fool and lose my pocket money. Please forgive me for troubling you in such troublesome times, but it is the last time. I am homeless."
— Irene Duleep Singh (from her suicide note)
"She was homeless in spirit."
— Anita Anand (describing Irene)
"None of the children of the first or second family ever have children of their own."
— Anita Anand (on the tragic end of the Duleep Singh lineage)