Victor Duleep Singh and Lord George Carnarvon

The Maharajah's wife Bamba, who died in 1887, had two sons who reached manhood, Prince Victor and  Prince Frederick Duleep Singh, a third son, Edward, died aged 14. She also had  several daughters. On Bamba's death the Maharajah married again and had further issue.

Victor and Frederick were close siblings, but Victor’s dearest friend outside his family circle was George Edward Stanhope Molyneux Herbert, later 5th Earl of Carnarvon and the husband of Almina Wombwell.

In their development years the two boys were virtually co-joined.  Victor attended Eton College with Lord Carnarvon, and later Cambridge University, with Lord Carnarvon. At this time Carnarvon was known as Lord Porchester, or “ Porchey”.  Like Porchey, Victor was not scholarly. Also like his friend he adored his mother. The difference was that Porchey had lost his mother at the tender age of nine. And it blighted him, and marked his attitude as an adult in his relationships with women.

Porchey failed to get into the army as he was not considered robust enough, by virtue of suffering various childhood illnesses, but both he and Victor had tried to map out a life in British army as a future, simply to be with George.

Bamba painstakingly guarded the inner weaknesses of her son " Vickie" especially when he was young against the tempremenatlly and highly charged figure of the Maharajah.