Travancore royal family, the favorites of Queen Elizabeth and her son Prince Charles

The Travancore royal family had warm relations with the British royal family. When Junior Maharani Moolam Thirunal Sethu Parvathi Bayi and her daughter Karthika Thirunal Lakshmi Bai visited England for the first time, Queen Mary gave them a hearty welcome. Queen Mary is Queen Elizabeth's grandmother. At the special invitation of the Queen, the ladies attended a tea party hosted by Buckingham Palace. Both had a talk with the then Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret.

Later, during Elizabeth's visit to India after becoming the Crown Princess of England, she met Maharajah Chithira Thirunal and his mother Maharani Sethu Parvathi Bayi. Uthradam Thirunal Marthanda Varma, the young price, was also present. Pooyam Thirunal Gowri Parvati Bayi, niece of the last King of Travancore, Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma told Kerala Kaumudi that the meeting in Madras also explained the depth of friendship between the royal families.

Prince Charles who accompanied Marthanda Varma

Prince Charles' visit to India is a perfect example of the love and respect Buckingham Palace had for the Travancore royal family. When Prince Charles visited Kerala in November, 2013 Uthradam Thirunal Marthanda Varma visited him. He came to meet Charles along with his young nephew Pooruruttathi Thirunal Marthanda Varma. The meeting was held at Taj Malabar in Kochi. The meet between the young generation of the world's two most powerful dynasties was indeed a blessed moment. Charles happily accepted the gift given by Marthanda Varma. Then Prince Charles also accompanied Uthradam Thirunal to his vehicle.