Princess diaries

The eighth Nizam's ex-wife is in town to fight his estate and secure her daughter's inheritance. Princess Manolya Onur in an exclusive interview.

PRINCESS Manolya Onur, third wife of H E H Mukkaram Jah, VIII Nizam of Hyderabad, possesses a quiet, elegant grace. But in her exclusive interview with the Hyderabad Times, she proves that she can get tough when pushed. The former Miss Turkey is in town to secure property rights for her 15-year-old daughter and lashes out at the Nizam and his first wife, Princess Esra, who holds the power of attorney to his estate. Princess Manolya Onur, a normally reticent and soft-spoken lady, makes a huge effort of will in sharing deeply personal aspects of her life. "I think the people of Hyderabad have a right to know who I am, why I married the Nizam and why I divorced him. I've been quiet for nine long years but now the time has come. As a mother, if I don't protect my daughter's interests, who will?" The Nizam, who married five times, is said to be worth millions. He owns palaces, land, caches of jewellery, antiques and artifacts, and several trusts. The Nizam Trust alone is estimated to be worth twenty thousand crores. The 72 -year-old Nizam now lives on a seaside resort in Antalya, Turkey, mostly by himself. Princess Manolya, 51, lives in Istanbul with her teenaged daughter, Niloufer...

Excerpts from an interview: How did you meet the Nizam and what led to the marriage? We met in Istanbul at a friend's place and six months later we decided to get married. I didn't know who he was. Once when we were walking down a street in Turkey he pointed to a palace and said, "My mother used to live here." Another time he said, "That palace has all my uncles' pictures on the walls..." I, of course, thought he was out of his mind! Although he proposed to me after the first meeting, I took my time. He had left an open ticket, which I thought was very romantic but not very logical. Finally, our nikaah took place in the August of 1990, at the Chiraan Palace in Hyderabad and soon I had my daughter, Niloufer (named after Durreshevar's cousin married to Prince Mozam Jah). Her first birthday party was celebrated here, in Hyderabad, and she took her first steps in the Chiraan Palace. You married the Nizam after the most glorious phase of his life which was from 1967 to '85. In fact, did you see any of the pomp and glory that the Nizams were renowned for? Well, I did not marry the richest man in the world; I married a man who had just lost his wife, was heartbroken, had two little kids, and was in the midst of a big financial tussle. But I loved him. And I'd say we were happily married. It was all going fine till I had my back problem and had to undergo surgery in the US. My legs were paralysed and I could not walk for about a year...

My husband wasn't beside me when I needed him the most. Instead, he was with someone else. I was taken aback because for me, my marriage meant everything. When we were in Australia, I cleaned and cooked for him. We lived a very simple life. His marriage to Jemila, the 22-year-old Moroccan, came as a shock. The DNA test proved the child was not his and within weeks he had divorced her, only to marry Orchid. I remember I was shopping when he called on my phone and completed the " talaaq talaaq talaaq". I was shocked. I couldn't deal with it. So we agreed on a settlement and separated. I could not go to any court because I was in Turkey, which follows the Swiss law, but we were married under the Islamic law. However, after the first couple of months, he stopped honouring the settlement and I decided to go to court in India. Has the settlement come to you? It hasn't, and that's why I am in Hyderabad. According to the Nizam I have to ask Princess Esra for my daughter's and my rights. But how can I ask her? I fail to understand how an ex-wife can be given the GPA to the Nizam's property? They were divorced in 1979 and she has lived in London since. Her children accused the Nizam of senility in court, and yet she holds the power of attorney. And now, I have to ask her for my rights. How can an ex-wife be fair to my daughter or to me? It's not reasonable. And she has openly said that she would not give anything to Niloufer who is still a minor...

Esra uses her title and throws parties in India and abroad, wears Chanel, drives a Rolls Royce, stays in five star suites but refuses to give us anything. I sometimes wonder why. She wants her son, Azmat to get the title and whatever the Nizam owns now. Have you tried speaking to her? Yes, twice. She invited me over for tea in Turkey and assured me that everything would be alright. Nothing came of it. But I have faith in the Indian judiciary, and hope to eventually get what is due to me, my haq. I don't need titles or palaces but I want what's due to my daughter. It's my duty to protect her rights. She's a lovely person, looks so much like her grandmother, Durreshevar . The Nizam's other wives have been paid millions of dollars but not me. His other children – Azmat and Shekyar, children of Esra and a Azam, son of Helen – each were endowed with 30 million dollars. But he does not support Niloufer — not her school fees, medical bills, clothes, nothing. All I am asking for is the settlement he agreed upon. Have you communicated with the Nizam? I have, but his estates are managed by Esra. The last cheque that I received, came from Esra's mother's account. How do you explain that? My daughter's rights should come from her father, the court, not from an ex-wife. It is my husband's duty to protect our daughter's future. If a man forgets to take care of his innocent child, I'd say there is something wrong with him. I think he's really sick! I feel sorry for him...

All he says is, talk to Esra or Shankar Das, Esra's legal advisor. My daughter spent a week with him a couple of weeks ago, but there was no talk of any inheritance. So you have still not received the alimony? I have received nothing. Now only the Chiraan Palace is left and everybody is after it. In the settlement, the Nizam promised that the Chiraan Palace will be his during his lifetime and then will go to Niloufer. I am told the six acres, sold recently by HUDA (near KBR park) were on the outskirts, and were auctioned for Rs 330 crores. That's how much the property is worth. He has the money to pay his lawyers, fly them business class to Turkey so that the hearing can take place there, and put them up in the best of hotels, while I am still after him to pay his daughter's school fees. It's disgraceful. The other day I was told, in the family court, that the parcel with the Nizam's cross examination report given to the advocate commissioner in Turkey last October is "lost". The parcel's seal was opened in front of all the parties but the main cross examination report was missing. How can that be? I have a copy of it and in that the Nizam admits to the promise he had made to my daughter.