Quote · Empire: World History
372. The First British Indians: The Sisters Rejected By Queen Victoria (Ep 4)
Where this was said
The Will, Dr. Barnardo's, and Bamba's Vicious Legal Battle
At 47:00 · chapter starts 46:40
On the morning of her death, Irene changed her will, cutting out Pauline and leaving everything to Dr. Barnardo's Homes for Poor and Unwanted Children [1] — Anita Anand "When Irene's will left everything to Dr. Barnardo's, Pauline contested it, claiming Irene was not of sound mind. Then Bamba intervened — hi…" 48:00 . Anita calls it the clearest possible message: I was unloved, I was unwanted too. Pauline contested the will on the grounds that Irene was not of sound mind. Then, out of nowhere, Bamba intervened — hiring Sir Ellis Hume-Williams, a feared King's Counsel, baronet, and Conservative MP, described by Anita as an absolute Rottweiler. For days in court, Hume-Williams dismantled Irene's reputation: 'Black blood ran in her veins, and she would scratch to get it out.' The self-harming, the skin conditions, the hair-pulling — all were laid bare publicly, to Anita's visible revulsion. Bamba lost. Not only did she receive nothing, she was ordered to pay all court costs. She and Pauline never spoke again. The only time Pauline and Sophia would meet again was at Ada's funeral in 1930.
When Irene's will left everything to Dr. Barnardo's, Pauline contested it, claiming Irene was not of sound mind. Then Bamba intervened — hiring feared KC Sir Ellis Hume-Williams, who tore Irene's reputation apart with racist slurs and revelations of self-harm. Bamba lost, paid all costs, and never spoke to Pauline again.
Princess Bamba Duleep Singh hired one of the most feared King's Counsel in England to contest Irene's will, had Irene's reputation torn apart in court, lost the case, and was ordered to pay all court costs.
For decades, no one knew what happened to Pauline after she vanished following the will case. Historian Peter Bunce traced her through a distant relative's family tree to a French death certificate: she died of TB on 10 April 1941, at a sanatorium above the Pyrenees, buried by authorities alone, like her father before her.
