A historian has revealed the ‘intriguing parallels’ between Meghan Markle and Queen Victoria’s adopted daughter who was given the trappings of royal life but wished for more privacy.
Dr Priya Atwal, from London, shared a lengthy Twitter thread online highlighting similarities between the Duchess of Sussex, 39, and Princess Gouramma of Coorg yesterday.
Princess Gouramma was brought to Britain in 1852 by her father the Rajah of Coorg, before being adopted by Queen Victoria and struggling with public pressure and expectations.
Dr Priya’s comments about Gouramma come hours after Meghan revealed that the stress of royal life made her suicidal when she was five months pregnant during an explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Dr Priya Atwal, from London, revealed the ‘intriguing parallels’ between Meghan Markle and Queen Victoria’s adopted daughter Gouramma
Posting online, Dr Priya wrote: ‘As a historian of Victorian royalty, I am fascinated by some of the parallels between #MeghanMarkle’s current situation and the little known story of Princess Gouramma of Coorg.’
She called the idea that Meghan is the first person of colour to be a member of the Royal Family ‘misleading’, and pointed to Princess Gouramma, who was born in 1841 in India.
Dr Priya commented: ‘She was brought to Britain in 1852 by her father, the deposed Rajah of Coorg.
‘The Rajah campaigned to win back his family wealth from the East India Company, but also asked Victoria to adopt his daughter, believing the Queen would give her a good life.
Princess Gouramma was brought to Britain in 1852 by her father the Rajah of Coorg, before being adopted by Queen Victoria and struggling with public pressure and expectations
‘The Hindu Rajah offered up Gouramma to be baptised as a Christian and hoped Victoria would bring her up as an adopted daughter with aristocratic guardians and secure her a good marriage.
‘Incredibly, Victoria was keen about the idea and readily agreed.’
Queen Victoria took several young royals from across the empire into her household as godchildren, including Duleep Singh, whose portrait still hangs in Buckingham Palace.
Dr Priya said the intention was ‘to learn about her new territories & project a benevolent image of her family.’
Princess Gouramma was the daughter of Chikka Virarajendra, the ruler of Coorg, who was deposed by the British in 1834 (pictured, a drawing
However the historian said the young royals would often have a difficult time, despite the fact the Queen was their guardian.
She explained Duleep Singh and another ward Sarah Bonetta Forbes ‘were both feted and treated as racialised others in Victorian Britain.’
She added: ‘Their lives were pored over in a newly-emerging popular press.’
Dr Priya continued: ‘Gouramma particularly struggled with the attention and pressure of expectation placed on her to become a model Anglicised princess.
‘Victoria willingly excepted her into royal care but banned Gouramma from having any further contact with her father & family.
‘This was supposedly to prevent her from slipping into “native” or “heathen ways”.’
Gouramma was then ‘moved from foster family to family as her caretakers struggled with the cost & demands of raising a royal ward’.
Struggling to cope with the pressures of royal life, Dr Priya explained Gouramma then ‘made repeated attempts to run away.’
Struggling to cope with the pressures of royal life, Dr Priya explained Gouramma ‘made repeated attempts to run away’ as a teenager
Dr Priya called her parallels with Meghan ‘most intriguing’, explaining: ‘Gouramma often spoke of dearly wishing for more privacy & living independently – even to become a household maid – so she could be free of scrutiny. Yet her actions were attributed to her “innate Oriental weakness”.’
Calling it an ‘incredibly sad story’, the historian continued: ‘A child who was most likely feeling lost/confused, was intensely pushed and misunderstood by the adults who were supposed to care for her.
‘Gouramma eventually married and had a child, but weak in health, she died at 23.’
She finished: ‘So really, it’s not new for the British Royal Family to accept people of colour into their fold – even knowing it is a good move for their image
The revelations come as Meghan and Harry made explosive claims about life in the royal family and described the pressure they feel they’ve been living under
‘But what’s long been messy/problematic is how royal and British public culture deals with such new royal figures and impacts their lives.’
The comparison comes as Buckingham Palace has been paralysed with ‘horror and dismay’ over Prince Harry and Meghan’s interview with Oprah Winfrey.
The Queen, Prince Charles and Prince William were all locked in crisis talks over how to react to a string of incendiary accusations unleashed by Harry and wife Meghan during a two-hour special with Oprah Winfrey on American TV.
With pressure growing for a statement today, Palace insiders described a mood of ‘intense personal shock and sadness’ that the prince had pressed the ‘nuclear button on his own family’. ‘People are just reeling,’ a source said.
During the Oprah interview yesterday, Meghan also accused her sister-in-law Kate of making her cry and suggested she had had more negative press than the Duchess
The couple’s interview on CBS late on Sunday night sent shock waves around the world yesterday as the couple laid bare the extent of their rift with the Queen and other senior royals.
They accused an unnamed Royal Family member of racism, suggesting the relative had asked ‘how dark’ their baby would be; said they had been driven out of Britain, in part, by racism; and accused the Palace machinery of failing to support a ‘suicidal’ Meghan.
Meghan also accused her sister-in-law Kate of making her cry; suggested senior royals plotted to ensure Archie would never have a title or adequate security; and said officials had failed to stand up for the couple against ‘racist’ commentary, while lying to protect other royals.