Devraj Singh pays tribute to grandmother Gayatri Devi at Lily Pool, Jaipur. Picture by Surendra Jain Paras

Jaipur, July 29: The royal divide in the battle of wills was manifest today in the attendance at Gayatri Devi’s first death anniversary prayer.

Her own grandchildren, Devraj Singh and Lalitya Kumari, were present at the palatial Lily Pool, where the Rajmata of Jaipur stayed. Also present was Bhawani Singh, the eldest stepson of Gayatri Devi, who is believed to be on Devraj and Lalitya’s side in a complicated inheritance battle involving multiple wills.

But Gayatri Devi’s favourite stepson Prithviraj Singh, who looked after her financial matters, was absent. His own elder brother, Jai Singh, too did not attend the prayer. Jai, though, had attended a prayer service in Berkshire, UK, for the queen’s London friends.

Prithviraj has contested Devraj and Lalitya’s claim to Gayatri Devi’s properties.

He has sought a stay order on the operation of the succession certificate, issued by a Jaipur court in February 2009 to Gayatri Devi’s grandchildren. He said the last will by the queen was made under duress in the last stages of her life when she was old, weak and unable to speak properly.

Prithviraj wants the court to accept a 1996 will by Gayatri Devi’s son Jagat, disinheriting his children and leaving all his property with his mother. If this will is accepted, the properties will be distributed among all members of the royal family, except Devraj and Lalitya.

The grandchildren claim to be in possession of the late queen’s last will that allegedly bequeaths to them all her properties. It was made in 2009, months before the Rajmata’s death in July, and was apparently left with Bhawani.

Devraj and Lalitya accuse Prithviraj of diluting their share in their father Jagat Singh’s inherited property, Jai Mahal Palace, and transferring the shares in his and his son Vijit Singh’s name.

Absent at the all-religion prayer meet were also the principals of the Maharani Gayatri Devi School and Sawai Man Singh Vidyalaya, two institutions founded by the late Rajmata.

The explanation perhaps lies in the fact that the Maharani Gayatri Devi School is managed by Rani Vidya, the wife of Jai who is not in the best of terms with Devraj and Lalitya. The other school is managed by Prithviraj.

Politicians from the Congress, a party that the Rajmata was at loggerheads with, were not seen at the ceremony. But Vasundhara Raje, the BJP leader who is from the Scindia royal family, sent a representative.