Meet the 21-year-old ‘king’ of Jaipur, India, a polo star who moonlights as an Airbnb host and dated Reese Witherspoon’s daughter

Nov 14 , 2019

Padmanabh Singh is the 21-year-old ‘king’ of the northwestern Indian city of Jaipur. Photo: Courtesy of Airbnb

Rent the palace suite slept in by Oprah Winfrey and Princess Diana, for US$8,000 a night, directly from Padmanabh Singh – the forward-thinking Indian monarch who spends his time travelling the world, studying in New York and Rome and walking in fashion shows

At 21 years old, Padmanabh Singh controls a fortune of between US$697 million and US$855 million and is called a “king”.

Padmanabh Singh, full title Maharaja Sawai Padmanabh Singh of Jaipur, is the young monarch of Jaipur, a city in northwestern India famous for its pink architecture and imperial palaces. The wealth of the royal family is estimated to be between US$697 million and US$2.8 billion.

Singh spends his time playing polo, studying liberal arts, walking in fashion shows and travelling the world. And most recently? Moonlighting as an Airbnb host.

Singh listed a private suite in his family's palace on Airbnb this November, making him the platform’s first royal host. While parts of the palace area are already open to the public, the one-bedroom, one-bathroom suite was previously used by the royal family to host high-profile guests like Oprah Winfrey and Princess Diana. It will be rented out for US$8,000 a night from January 2020.

Here's a look at the young royal’s life

Padmanabh Singh is the 21-year-old king of Jaipur, India. His full title is Maharaja Sawai Padmanabh Singh of Jaipur.

Singh, whose family and friends call him “Pacho”, is the 303rd descendant of the royal family of Jaipur.

He became king in 2011 after the death of his grandfather, Sawai Man Singhji Bahadur, who was called “the last Maharaja of Jaipur” when he died because he ascended to the throne soon before royal privileges stopped being recognised in India.