Schoolboy crowned Maharaja of Jaipur****
Friday, 29 April 2011
JAIPUR (India), Apr 28 (AFP): A 12-year-old boy has been crowned Maharaja of Jaipur, becoming head of what was once one of India's most glamorous and wealthy royal families.
In a grand marble hall, Kumar Padmanabh Singh was blessed by priests at the coronation ceremony before he walked slowly through the city palace to receive a military guard of honour.
Among his entourage of white-clad aides during Wednesday's rituals were two bearers armed with fly whisks and another carrying a decorated parasol to protect his head from the glaring sun.