Jaipur royal and MLA Diya Kumari, her husband decide to part ways

After being married for 21 years, princess Diya Kumari of the erstwhile Jaipur royal family and her husband Narendra Singh have decided to part ways. The couple has three children, the eldest of them – Padmanabh – has been annointed the crown prince of Jaipur.

"We jointly state that it is an extremely personal matter for us and hence we do not wish to comment further except, that we have jointly and mutually decided to part amicably," the couple said in a statement on Sunday.

Their marriage in 1967 had raised the hackles of the Rajput community as both belong to the same gotra. "The Rajput Sabha considered marrying in same gotra incestuous," said a source. The community had even threatened to boycott the royal family and strip her father Bhawani Singh of his title. But the family stood firm and placated frayed nerves. While Diya Kumari managed the business interests and properties to turn around the fortunes of the royal family, she contested the last state polls from Sawai Madhopur on a BJP ticket and pulled off a surprise victory.