Anita Delgado

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Anita Delgado Briones was a Spanish flamenco dancer and singer from Andalusia.

She was born on February 8, 1890 in Málaga. The family emigrated to Madrid, where her beauty and that of her sister were welcomed. Painters Julio Romero de Torres and Ricardo Baroja asked that they model, but Anita refused being only 16.

During the festivals for the marriage of king Alfonso XIII of Spain in Madrid, the Maharaja Sir Jagatjit Singh Bahadur of Kapurthala watched her performances in a cafe-concert. He attempted to court her, but his approaches were rejected, and he left after the bombing of the royal couple (May 31, 1906). Later, however, her friends Romero de Torres, Ramón María del Valle-Inclán and Pastora Imperio convinced her to answer his messages and meet him in Paris. He had her educated (including in French) and married her on 28 January, 1908. After marriage she changed her name to Maharani Prem Kumari. They later travelled in Europe and India, and she wrote a book about this time called "Impresiones de mis viajes a las Indias". She also gave the Maharaja a son, Maharajkumar Ajit Singh (born 26th April 1908, educated at Cambridge University and at the Military Academy, Dehra Dun. Assistant to the Indian Trade Commissioner in Argentina, died in 1982). During the first World War, her husband worked in Franco-British hospitals. The Maharaja and she fell apart as a result of her extra-marital affairs, including her affair with a son of the Maharaja from another wife. They separated and Anita stayed in Paris with her son. She died on 7 July, 1962 in Madrid.

1 In media
- 1.1 Literature
2 References
3 External links

[edit] In media

A movie on Anita's life titled La princesa de Kapurthala starring the Spanish actress Penélope Cruz is slated to begin shooting in 2006. However a descendent of Jagatjit Singh, Shatrujit Singh, has opposed the filming since he considers that Javier Moro's novel on which it is based distorts truth, especially the allegations of the Maharajah forcing Anita to an abortion^[1].