The Princess is the only child of H.H. Maharaja Sawai Bhawani Singh and H.H. Maharani Padmini Devi of Jaipur. Her maternal grandparents were the Maharaja and Maharani of Sirmour (now part of the Indian State of Himachal Pradesh). Her father earned distinction in the Indo-Pakistan war of 1971 as a Lt. Col. and Commanding Officer of the Para Commandos of the 10th Parachute Regiment. Decorated with the Mahavir Chakra, the Maharaja later left the army to concentrate on his duties towards the erstwhile State of Jaipur, including through the administration of the Jaipur City Palace and its associated Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum, and in various philanthropic roles. He was also India’s High Commissioner to Brunei. Thus, Princess Diya learned at a young age about the Jaipur royal family’s sense of commitment as custodians of their inheritance, and of duty to the country. She also observed, at first-hand, the management of a royal palace as both a family residence, and a museum open to the public, and has since effectively put it to practice.

Princess Diya Kumari has three children. The eldest, H.H. Sawai Padmanabh Singh, is the current Maharaja of Jaipur born on 2nd July 1998. He was adopted as heir to the throne of Jaipur by his grandfather, H.H. Maharaja Sawai Bhawani Singh, whom he succeeded in April 2011. He has a younger sister Princess Gauravi Kumari, and a brother H.H. Lakshraj Prakash, Maharaja of Sirmour.

Princess Diya Kumari is Secretary and trustee of the Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum Trust and the Jaigarh Fort Charitable Trust; runs two hotels, namely, the Rajmahal Palace in Jaipur, and the Jaipur House in Mt. Abu; and manages ventures like Durga Diya Enterprises, the Baradari restaurant and museum shops at the City Palace, and the Ashok Club, an exclusive sports and recreational club. A committed educationist, she runs two highly prestigious schools - The Palace School and the Maharaja Sawai Bhawani Singh School, and has instituted the ‘Young Achiever in Education’ award.

The Princess is also a connoisseur of art and culture, and actively promotes traditional arts, crafts, music and dance, and in 2013 she revived the tradition of the Gunijankhana wherein the Jaipur Royal Family had provided a institutional forum for singers, musicians and dancers from the 17th century through to 1949. In its contemporary form, the present Gunijankhana provides a platform for national and international virtuosos of the performing, literary and visual arts, and the sciences. Along with this, she continues to encourage the 'Friends of Museum', started by her late father, H.H. Maharaja Sawai Bhawani Singh of Jaipur, with the aim of promoting the dying arts and crafts of Jaipur and supporting craftspersons associated with it.

The Princess Diya Kumari Foundation (www.princessdiyakumarifoundation.org), established by her in 2013, is aimed at empowering women and girls through vocational training, education, and livelihood generation. This complements her other endeavors of keeping alive and passing on artisanal, handicraft and agricultural skills. The women are helped with linking their products to the market.

In keeping with her family’s long tradition of philanthropy, Princess Diya Kumari is actively associated with several NGOs and organizations, including the Eye Bank Society of Rajasthan, and Rays, an NGO working for HIV+children, of which she is the Patron. She also closely monitors the work of Sawai Man Singh Prathmik Chikitsalaya, which provides medical facilities and treatment to the needy. Since 2014 she has been Rajasthan State Government’s Ambassador for the “Save the Girl Child” campaign. She was given the YFLO Women Achievers Award in Politics by the Young FICCI Ladies Organization (YFLO), New Delhi. In January 2017, Princess Diya Kumari received an HONORARY DOCTORATE from Amity University, Jaipur, for her contribution in the field of philanthropy and leading role in heritage management

During her term as an MLA, the Princess remained very active in Sawai Madhopur, facilitating development agencies, donors, NGOs and local stakeholders on a range of issues. These include water and sanitation, women’s empowerment, health, education, employment, environment, agriculture, and rural development. Fully aware of the development challenges in Sawai Madhopur, both while serving as the local MLA, and with the work of her Foundation, the Princess forged partnerships and innovative solutions for social, economic, and infrastructure development there, even as she carried forward her work in Jaipur and other places with commitment and dedication. Now as a Member of Parliament with a much broader role and greater responsibilities, Princess Diya will continue to expand her efforts to proudly and effectively serve the people of her constituency, and serve her country. View Less

Padmanabh’s initial schooling was in Jaipur and thereafter he shifted to Mayo College, Ajmer, an elite school of India. Encouraged by the centuries old traditions of the Royal family of Jaipur he took up the sport of polo and riding during his tenure in Mayo College. He won numerous medals and trophies and was also the captain of the school team. In 2014 he left Mayo College to join Millfield School in England where apart from excelling in academics, he pursued the sport of polo successfully. At Millfield he was the captain of the polo team. Under his captaincy their team came second in the UK Schools National Championship for two years running.

Padmanabh affectionately known as “Pacho” to his family and friends, ventured into professional equestrian events by participating in the Delhi Horse Show and won many awards in equestrian activities including winning the Junior Indian Polo Championship. He regularly plays polo in tournaments in Delhi, Jaipur and in Jodhpur where he won the trophy as the most valuable player for 2 years in a row. He also plays internationally, participating in many polo matches in Germany, the UK, Argentina, Abu Dhabi, USA and Thailand. He was declared the most valuable player in the British Polo Day tournaments in Jodhpur and Abu Dhabi. He has been playing in the Professional Circuit in the UK since 2015 and has been promoted to a handicap of 2 Goals. He has also been fielding the Jaipur Polo Team in tournaments up to the level of 15 goals across the UK.

Keeping their historic association with the Jaipur Royal Family alive, the Guards Polo Club has recently inducted the young Maharaja as a member of the elite club, where he played with the Guards Polo Team throughout the 2016 polo season. The same year he was invited by Cirencester Polo Club invited him to play a charity polo match with HRH Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge.

In 2016 he took the Jaipur Polo Team to the USA, renewing the old polo ties between the US and Jaipur, playing in both New York and in Santa Barbara, and winning three out of the four games that they played. Furthermore, at the end of the 2015-2016 UK Polo season he was awarded the most improved player by the Chairman of the Guards Polo Club at their Annual Award Ceremony.

Padmanabh now plays at the highest level of polo in Asia, and participated in the annual Jodhpur, Jaipur, Delhi and Mumbai polo season the last three years. He was the youngest player ever to win the Indian Open Championship.

In 2017 he was selected as a member of the Indian National Polo Team for the Polo World Cup of 2017, the youngest player in the history of Indian Polo. The Indian team won the Zonal Play Offs in Iran and then played in the finals of the World Cup which were held in Sydney, Australia in October 2017.

He has also played polo in various International Tournaments in countries all over the world namely India, England, Germany, Argentina, USA, Thailand, Iran. Italy, Switzerland, Colombia, UAE, South Africa, and China.

He was the Goodwill Ambassador of the 2017 Jaipur Marathon in which over 60,000 runners from around the world participated.

He was photographed by Mario Testino for Vogue Paris and featured in the May 2017 issue with model Vittoria Ceretti; He hosted British Polo Day events for 3 years at Jaipur; He hosted the Elephant Family's Charity Elephant Parade in Jaipur (Elephant family is presided over by HRH the Prince of Wales) Invited and attended the famous Le Bal des Debutantes in Paris in November 2017, and was the cavalier for debutante Ava Philippe, the daughter of Reese Witherspoon. During the summer season 2018, Padmanabh was invited by Dolce & Gabbana to walk the ramp as a special guest for their main show in Milan Fashion week. He was also involved in shoots for Armani, Missoni, and Ermenigildo Zegna, which he continued throughout 2019. In 2018, he was selected by Forbes for their “Forbes 30 under 30” most influential Asia list. In February 2019, he co-hosted Cartier’s Travel with Style 3-day vintage car event at Jaipur, with Cartier’s top management and many global public figures in attendance.

From January to June 2018, Padmanabh began his university education at New York University (NYU) in New York City, where he spent one semester studying liberal studies. In September 2018, he transferred to the Universita e Nobil Collegio Sant’Eligio in Rome, where he has been studying Cultural Heritage Management, Art History, and Italian language.

In addition to his passion for polo, Maharaja Sawai Padmanabh Singh feels hugely privileged to be descended from a long line of rulers of Jaipur; while we now live in a democratic age, preserving the rich cultural and architectural heritage of Jaipur places a great burden of responsibility on him and his family, which he embraces as a stimulating and most worthy challenge. He is dedicated to playing a responsible role in ensuring a more sustainable future, equitable social and economic development, lifting the underprivileged out of poverty, ensuring quality education for all, empowering women, and protecting and preserving our environment, alongside the conservation of our cultural, artistic, and architectural patrimony.View Less

Following in the footsteps of her mother, Princess Gauravi Kumari displays a keen interest in the Princess Diya Kumari Foundation (PDKF) which has been founded by her mother, Princess Diya Kumari. Staying true to her legacy, Princess Gauravi is working with PDKF to increase the brand’s awareness and making it bigger than it already is by providing her creative and innovative guidance to the women of the foundation. Princess Gauravi and French designer Claire Derro are currently working towards the launch of the PDKF Store which will be a contemporary adaptation of traditional Rajasthani crafts. By introducing new design sensibilities to their existing mastery of craft, they are helping the women design new products at PDKF.View Less