This Fabulous Maharani Was No Ordinary Woman

Sita Devi, also known as Princess Karam, was widely regarded as one of the most glamorous women of her day. She was a daughter of the Raja of Kumaon. At age 13, she married Karamjit Singh, a younger son of the Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Kapurthala. She was fluent in several European languages and was considered to have a strong sense of style, which made her a muse for several photographers from Cecil Beaton to Man Ray.

The princess caused a quite a stir at a New York ball in 1957. It is said, the Maharani sold a pair of bejeweled anklets to Harry Winston. They had several large emeralds and diamonds. The jeweller set these stones into a spectacular necklace that was bought by the Duchess of Windsor Wallace Simpson. The Duchess wore this to the ball, also attended by Sita Devi. When other guests were admiring the necklace. The Maharani was heard to exclaim that those jewels looked just as nice on her feet. The embarrassed Duchess returned the necklace to Winston. 

Legend has it, she even commissioned Van Cleef & Arpels, a French luxury jewellery brand, to make tongue cleaners made of solid gold exclusively for her. Now, that's what we call a fabulous lifestyle.