Coming out as India’s first gay prince

Manvendra Singh Gohil - a real life prince and next in line to a centuries-old royal dynasty in the Indian state of Gujarat - grew up in the 1970s in a gilded cage. His family's desire to keep his blue blood away from ‘commoners’ meant that, growing up, he missed out on formative experiences like making friends. After a failed marriage to a princess, Manvendra finally shed his royal cocoon and was determined to break out and explore the world, and his sexuality. With the help of his new friend Ashok, a gay rights activist, the prince began a process of self-acceptance that would be put to the ultimate test. (This episode was first broadcast in May 2022)

Presenter: Mobeen Azhar
Producer: Fiona Woods and Edgar Maddicott

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(Photo: Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil in 2010. Credit: Getty Images)