Visits to the Indian Courts

In the final months of his tour, the Prince visited Agra, Gwalior, Jaipur, Nepal and Indore. An important aspect of the tour was to make connections with the rulers of India, many of whose lineages had been established for centuries. The Prince received numerous invitations from Indian rulers to visit their palaces and states, providing him with opportunities to learn more about them.

The Prince visited Gwalior as a guest of Maharaja Jayaji Rao Scindia, arriving on 31 January. Here he stayed at the Maharaja’s newly built palace, Jai Vilas Mahal. Built in 1874, the palace was furnished with chandeliers, mirrors, furniture and tapestries from Europe and the room that the Prince occupied was fitted with a bedstead, washing service and bath made of solid silver.

Another state visited by the Prince was Jaipur. He arrived in the city on 4 February 1876 and was welcomed by Maharaja Ram Singh II. They then travelled through Jaipur on elephant-back, their route lit by torchlight.