Speaker A:‘The other two were her mother and sister. Not one of them was wearing hats. It’s like they googled what to wear for a polo match and forgot to buy hats from the Bengaluru market!’
More mean-people laughs.
Speaker C:‘In that Instagram pic where she’s all into him, she looks about the same size. Maybe she cleaned up in time for him. Her dad is new money, and she’s the face of the café chain.’
Speaker B:‘Does she grow the beans?’
Right at that moment, my music app comes alive. Justin Bieber is singing, ‘You think I’m crying on my own, well I ain’t…’
I let Bieber run for a bit before I open the door and walk out to a trio of frozen faces.
Tiffany Govind, a supermodel, dark-haired, light-eyed, with legs that run for miles, is leaning against the sink. She is wearing a body-hugging dress. Standing beside Tiffany in a pale pink ensemble is Kavya Aulakh, heir to Aulakh Steel. She is Speaker A. Speaker C is Aroon Pai, a notorious cross-dresser with a raspy voice.
I now know the society crowd, thanks to social media and Vedveer.
‘Cosmetic surgery, ah? Not that important. Also, people, Ozempic is last season,’ I say before turning to face AroonPai. ‘Women tearing down women – tiring. Men chiming in – embarrassing.’
I’m seething. Things are exploding in my head, and my feet are barely moving. I purposely did not bring up Amma and Akka; we are so above this shoddy lot.
This is precisely why I didn’t want to be here in Jaipur, on royal territory, parading for a position I DID NOT want, dragging my family through the mud in the bargain. We don’t need this. I’m more determined than ever to push Vedveer to break it off.
Next year, there will be a different ‘princess-to-be’ at the Rathore Challenge Cup.
TittleTattle
Gupshup Column
Hatless at the Polo game, Princess-To-Be Makes Headlines
Curious so-and-so,
Ranibagh Royal Tea: The Princess Has (Unofficially) Arrived!
Coffee Queen Aaditha Prathap was introduced by royal announcer Samuel Verma as the ‘Princess-to-be’ at the Rathore Challenge Cup this weekend. Yes, you read that right. And no, we’re not breathing normally either.
If there was any lingering doubt about these two being a thing, TT suggests you put your conspiracy theories to rest.
Now, we agree it’s odd that the Palace didn’t roll out the velvet carpet for an official announcement first. But let’s be clear, this wasn’t some over-enthusiastic emcee settling social media debates. Slips like that simply don’t happen at Ranibagh. That is one tightly run ship. And Samuel Verma? He’s no amateur. If he called her Princess-to-be, someone very senior signed off on it.
So, how did we get here? After a dating roster that reads like a who’s-who of elite society, Prince Vedveer is basically engaged to Aaditha Prathap, a woman who is desperately seeking a crash course in Ranibagh dressing protocol.
That said, this afternoon’s candy-stripe dress was a step in the right direction. We approved. Except that she showed up to a royal polo match without a hat. And she wasn’t alone;her sister Alia went hatless too.
Is there a hat embargo we weren’t told about?
Mummy Gowda kept things real in a Kanchi cotton sari and chappals, thankfully not the Hawai type, or TT might’ve had to revive the Maharani with smelling salts. She wore a string of jasmine in her hair and her bank balance on her ears and wrists.
But let’s get back to the main act.
Despite the fashion fumbles, the Prince looked completely smitten. After the match, he was seen leaning into Aaditha during a hushed conversation, her hand in his. He, sweaty and sexy in polo gear. She, looking like a subtle summer dream. It worked. We felt things.
On the field, however, the Prince was clearly elsewhere, glancing over at his ‘Princess-to-be’ more than once. We thought it was adorable and perfectly in sync with the bombshell announcement from earlier.
Make no mistake: This is the closest the Palace has come to a wedding announcement. TT’s not in the mood to wait; we’re circling a December date. Ranibagh in all her glory on a winter night is the stuff of dreams.
Oh, and while we’re on outfits and accessories, there were polo hats galore, from wide-brimmed classics to feather-fitted chaos, but supermodel Tiffany Govind absolutely stole the spotlight. Dressed in an off-white halter-neck number that hit just below the calf, she looked ready for the runway (and probably needed to be, since her prince is officially off the market).
8.
