Anita Delgado

Who was Anita Delgado?

Anita Delgado Briones was a Spanish flamenco dancer and singer from Andalusia.

She was born on February 8, 1890 in Málaga. The family emigrated to Madrid, where her beauty and that of her sister were welcomed. Painters Julio Romero de Torres and Ricardo Baroja asked that they model, but Anita refused being only 16.

During the marriage ceremony of king Alfonso XIII of Spain in Madrid, the Maharaja Sir Jagatjit Singh Bahadur of Kapurthala watched her performances in a cafe-concert. He attempted to court her, but his approaches were rejected, and he left after the bombing of the royal couple. Later, however, her friends Romero de Torres, Ramón María del Valle-Inclán and Pastora Imperio convinced her to answer his messages and meet him in Paris. He had her educated and married her on 28 January 1908. After marriage she changed her name to Maharani Prem Kaur. They later travelled in Europe and India, and she wrote a book about this time called "Impresiones de mis viajes a las Indias". She also gave the Maharaja a son, Maharajkumar Ajit Singh. During the first World War, her husband worked in Franco-British hospitals. They separated and Anita stayed in Paris with her son.