Story of a Prince who lived and died alone in his ancestors Malcha Mahal

What’s the story of the last survivor of Oudh’s Royal Family, Price Riaz?

With no relatives around, the last prince of Oudh’s Royal Family lived in a state of poverty and despair. His body was found alone, forgotten lying outside the Malcha Mahal, three days after his death.

Prince Riaz Oudh had been living alone in this 700-year-old completely dilapidated Malcha Mahal which is located in Delhi, since his birth. His body was found outside the Mahal on 3rd September. Later it was reported that his body was found three days after his death. A prince belonging from a royal family was lying and rotting outside the Mahal. He was the only survivor left in his family and with him; the Oudh's royal bloodline came to an end.

Malcha Mahal ( Image Source: Hindustan Times)

There were no internal injuries or any other suspicious marks on his body, so the police is speculating that he might have been starved to death. This incident has once again highlighted their family history. In early 1990’s, he along with his sister Sakina, and mother Begum lived together in the Malcha Mahal. In 1993, his mother committed suicide by poisoning herself by consuming diamonds. She was devastated and depressed by their living conditions. The siblings grew up alone in the Mahal. A few months later his sister also died, leaving the prince alone, who also died in September. The Mahal doesn’t have any doors, or windows left, there is no water or electricity facility in the house. Calling this a palace can be considered a shame, as the place has turned into ruins. According to some people who visited the Mahal a couple of days ago, Prince Riaz was continuously pouring the glass with water which was kept on the table, where once his mother used to sit.

The Begum, his mother attained the Malcha Mahal in 1985. In her earlier days, the Begum stayed in VIP lounges in Delhi, however with the depleting stock of their antiques, her financial condition took an unfortunate turn which brought her and her family to ruins. She later also had to fight a lone battle against the government to return the ancestral property which was located in Lucknow. However, they received Malcha Mahal, and at an exchange of monthly allowance of Rs 500.

In Prince Riaz’s last interview in 1997, after the death of his mother, he talked about their living conditions and how his sister was unable to cope up with his mother’s death. Their interview received a lot of media attention, but everything faded after a few weeks. People around the country knew about their living conditions but didn’t make any attempt to help the family.

Explaining the situation, a senior police officer commented “The prince was living in a pitiable condition. He used to ask people for food and one person from the locality would feed him. The prince would wander near the forested areas in Chanakyapuri and, for the past two-three days, there was no movement which was suspicious. When we looked into the matter, we found that he was lying on the floor inside his house on September 3”.

Looking at the current state of the Malcha Mahal, it’s strange to imagine that this place was once covered with echoes of parties and laughter. To know more about the strange history of the page please check our previous detailed article on Malcha Mahal