Umed Singh II

Colonel HH Maharajadhiraj Shri Maharaja Mahim Mahendra Maharao Raja Sir Umaid Singh II (15 September 1873 – 27 December 1940) was the 18th Hada Chauhan ruler of the Princely State of Kotah from the year 1889 to 1940.

Although never appointed to any official post within the imperial British Raj, Sir Umaid Singh II served as an advisor to leading government officials, and was much sought after for his stately advice. He sent his state troops to fight in both the First World War and the Second World War.

Life The great-great-great-great-great-grandson of Rao Kishor Singh I, a Raja of Kota, Sir Umed Singhji was adopted at a young age by HH Maharao Raja Shatru Sal Singh II the then childless ruler of the state. Following his death in the year 1889, Umed Singhji (Udai Singh, as he was then named) embarked on a long and distinguished career as a soldier and statesman, being educated at Mayo College in Ajmer.

He received the honorary rank of Major in the Army in the 1903 Durbar Honours on 1 January 1903.

He died in 1940, aged 67, after an illustrious reign of 52 years, and was succeeded by his only son, Maharao Raja Sir Bhim Singhji II.

Titles 1873–1889: Kunwar Sri Umaid Singh 1889–1900: His Highness Maharajadhiraj Maharaja Mahimahendra Maharao Raja Shri Umed Singh II Sahib Bahadur, Maharao Raja of Kotah 1900–1903: His Highness Maharajadhiraj Maharaja Mahimahendra Maharao Raja Shri Sir Umed Singh II Sahib Bahadur, Maharao Raja of Kotah, KCSI 1903–1907: Major His Highness Maharajadhiraj Maharaja Mahimahendra Maharao Raja Shri Sir Umed Singh II Sahib Bahadur, Maharao Raja of Kotah, KCSI 1907–1911: Major His Highness Maharajadhiraj Maharaja Mahimahendra Maharao Raja Shri Sir Umed Singh II Sahib Bahadur, Maharao Raja of Kotah, GCIE, KCSI 1911–1915: Major His Highness Maharajadhiraj Maharaja Mahimahendra Maharao Raja Shri Sir Umed Singh II Sahib Bahadur, Maharao Raja of Kotah, GCSI, GCIE 1915–1918: Lieutenant-Colonel His Highness Maharajadhiraj Maharaja Mahimahendra Maharao Raja Shri Sir Umed Singh II Sahib Bahadur, Maharao Raja of Kotah, GCSI, GCIE 1918–1939: Lieutenant-Colonel His Highness Maharajadhiraj Maharaja Mahimahendra Maharao Raja Shri Sir Umed Singh II Sahib Bahadur, Maharao Raja of Kotah, GCSI, GCIE, GBE 1939–1940: Colonel His Highness Maharajadhiraj Maharaja Mahimahendra Maharao Raja Shri Sir Umed Singh II Sahib Bahadur, Maharao Raja of Kotah, GCSI, GCIE, GBE

Honours Delhi Durbar Gold Medal, 1903 Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (GCIE), 1907 Delhi Durbar Gold Medal, 1911 Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India (GCSI, 1911) (KCSI, 1900) Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE), 1918 King George V Silver Jubilee Medal, 1935 King George VI Coronation Medal, 1937

Legacy Rolls-Royce In 2011, his 1925 Phantom I Rolls-Royce, customised with mounted guns and searchlights for tiger hunting, came up for auction in the US. The auto is expected to sell for up to $1.6 million.