Sita Devi, Maharani of Baroda

Princess Sita Devi of Pithapuram (formerly known as “Queen of Baroda”) (2 May 1917 – 15 February 1989) was known as the "Indian Wallis Simpson".

She was a member of the international jet set.

Sita Devi was the daughter of the Maharaja of Pithapuram – Sri Raja Rao Venkata Kumara Mahipati Surya Rau Bahadur Garu and his wife Sri Rani Chinnamamba Devi (of Kapileswarapuram, Nuzvid Zamindari).

Sita Devi first married Meka Rangaiah Appa Rao Bahadur, Zamindar of Vuyyuru.

They had a son, Rajah M. Viduth Kumar Apparao.

She was a close friend of Princess Niloufer, daughter-in-law of the 7th Nizam of Hyderabad.

She met her second husband, Pratap Singh Gaekwad of Baroda, at the Madras horse races in 1943.

The Gaekwad was, at that time, considered the eighth richest man in the world.

It was also reported that he was the second richest Indian prince.

The Gaekwad subsequently began a romantic relationship with Sita Devi.

The lovers consulted with his legal team.

The lawyers recommended that the Hindu Sita Devi convert to Islam to dissolve her marriage to the Zamindar under Indian law.

After her conversion, Gaekwad took her as his second wife in 1943, which caused consternation with the British authorities, as this violated the antibigamy laws that the previous Gaekwad of Baroda enacted.

The British Viceroy in New Delhi summoned the Gaekwad to contest this marriage.

The latter argued that the law applied to the subjects of Baroda, and that he being their monarch was exempt from this law.

This was confirmed by the Viceroy's legal advisers.

The British government accepted the marriage, but did not refer to the Maharani as "Her Highness" as was the protocol for the consorts of rulers of princely states.

In 1946, the Gaekwad took his second wife on a tour of Europe.

The reason for their visit was to find a suitable residence away from India.

They found that the independent principality of Monaco was a suitable place to set up their second home.

They bought a mansion in Monte Carlo and the Maharani took up permanent residence there.

The Gaekwad visited often, bringing some of the great treasures of Baroda to Monaco.

The Maharani became the custodian of these treasures.

The couple also made two trips to the United States after the war.

They went on a spending spree, buying all types of luxurious items.

It was widely reported they spent $10 million on one of those trips.

Indian officials audited the principality's finances.

They concluded the Gaekwad had taken several large interest-free loans from the Baroda treasury.

They demanded that these be returned.

The prince complied by making several payments from his $8 million-a-year income.

The princely couple transferred a copious amount from the Baroda treasury, including some of its most famous jewellery, including four celebrated pearl carpets, a famed seven-strand necklace of priceless pearls (called the Baroda pearls), a three-strand diamond necklace with the famous Pink Brazilian Star of the South 128.80 carat diamond and the English Dresden 78.53 carat diamond.

The princely couple also had custody of the Empress Eugenie diamond.

When Baroda was integrated into the newly independent India, Indian officials were eventually able to recover some of the items, but some of the jewels had been transferred to the Maharani's ownership.

In 1965, she purchased a painting in Paris from Daniel Wildenstein, believing it to be La Poésie by François Boucher.

When it was discovered to be a fake, she sued Wildenstein in an English court despite both her and him residing in France.

The case, Maharanee of Baroda v Wildenstein, established an important rule regarding the presence of a defendant in conflict of laws.

Years after the Maharani's death some of the precious items were discovered.

In 1994 the pearl carpet was found in a Geneva vault.

It was sold to an Arab prince for $31 million.

Currently this carpet is displayed at the Museum of Islamic Art, Doha, in Qatar, even though it was commissioned by an Indian Hindu Maharaja and not by an Islamic ruler.