Desi gay prince seeks love through TV show

Updated on: 16 January,2009 06:33 AM IST |
Agencies |

Gohil took the name Mani and worked in small jobs in the seaside town of Brighton for the series.

UNDERcover prince: Manvendra Singh Gohil took the name Mani and worked in small jobs

Gohil took the name Mani and worked in small jobs in the seaside town of Brighton for the series.

The two other princes in the forthcoming series, Undercover Princes, are Prince Remigius of Jaffna, Sri Lanka, and Prince Africa Zulu, a 30-year-old bachelor from Zululand in South Africa.

"I don't think I could have found love in India, because people who were attracted to me were more attracted by my fortune or status," said Gohil. "I was undercover here, so it was easier a litmus test whether a person is genuinely in love with me."

Gohil said the size of his bedroom in Brighton was about the size of his bathroom back in Rajpipla Palace. He was also without his retinue of domestic help: electricians, plumbers, gardeners, attendants, a butler, chauffeur and his own set of maidservants.

He said, "I never handle money. This was the first time I went to a supermarket. I have never done shopping in my life. It was a difficult situation in the beginning to get adjusted to a different culture."

Gohil revealed that his gay status did not go down well with the African prince, who objected very strongly. "He said that if he had known about it, he wouldn't have come for it [the television serial]. He took out the Bible and read it to me, that it is a sin to be gay. There were issues, but we sorted it out through conversations," said Gohil.

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