Australian socialite Molly Fink – Wife of the Rajah of Pudukkottai
Posted by From the Bygone on August 31, 2015

Molly Fink (1894 – 1967) was an Australian socialite and wife of Martanda Bhairava Tondaiman, the Raja of the princely state of Pudukkottai. The marriage created a public scandal and resulted in the ostracization of the couple and their only son Martanda Sydney Tondaiman.

From 1922 to 1927 Martanda and Molly lived in Cannes where they bought a villa called La Favourite. At Cannes, Molly developed friendship with Elsa Maxwell,Cecil Beaton, Nancy Beaton, Lord Donegal, Lady Houston and William Locke. The couple frequented social events and held dinner parties. Martanda died at Parison 28 May 1928 at the age of fifty-three.

Following Martanda’s death, Molly’s finances began to dwindle. She sold La Favourite and purchased a house at Mayfair, London where she lived with her son, Sydney.

The Aga Khan proposed to her soon after Martanda’s death, but she rejected his proposal. In her later years, Molly remained aloof and began drinking heavily. She was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 1967. Molly died in Cannes on 22 November 1967 at the age of seventy-three.