PRINCESS’S TROUBLES

Grey River Argus, 14 August 1937, Page 11

PRINCESS’S TROUBLES

BURGLARY THREATS. LONDON, July 2. It is not all honey being a richlyjewelled Indian princess—so the beautiful Ranee of Pudukota finds. Burglary threats and anonymous telephone calls have forced her to remove her most magnificent jewels ana furs from her home in Chester Place Hyde Park, W., to a safer place. She is forced to wear imitation pearls and inexpensive furs at evening parties. “The trouble is,’’ she said, “that an Indian princess is always a marked woman. Even if she hadn’t a rag to her back —crooks would assume she was worth attention. “Thieves dog me. “In ■’92l my £5OOO diamond bracelet was stolen and in 1932 I lost a £lOOO diamond brooch. “Now t I am almost afraid to go out. Every time the telephone rings or a stranger calls I'm afraid it's a burglar. Why I even thought for a moment you w'ere one of the gang! “In fact it’s all so worrying, I’m half thinking of cancelling a Continental holiday I meant to take next week. As it is I have decided to sell this house and to take a service flat, which is more burglar-proof.” The Ranee, who before her marriage in 1915 to the Rajah (who died in 1928) was Miss Esme Fink, of Melbourne, has been reduced to this plight through the appearance of suspicious characters in her street. When she was advised of this by the police she placed her £30,000 Oriental pearl necklace, her £20,000 pearl ear-rings, her golden Indian drinking vessels, plate and ornamental boxes valued at £20,000, in her bank safe deposit; and her £BOOO sables and £2OOO mink coat with her furriers. But still there are a number of comparatively minor treasures in her house —and plain clothes detectives are standing- guard over each end of the street.