Pratap Singh of Idar

The Maharaja of the State of Idar Pratap Singh
Sir Pratap Singh of Idar
Born	22 October 1845
Died	4 September 1922
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Indian Army
Rank	Lieutenant General
Battles/wars	Second Afghan War Tirah Campaign Boxer Rebellion First World War
Awards	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order

Lieutenant-General Pratap Singh, GCB, GCSI, GCVO (22 October 1845 – 4 September 1922) was a career British Indian Army officer, Maharaja of the princely state of Idar (Gujarat) and heir to Ahmednagar later renamed as Himmatnagar from 1902 to 1911, when he abdicated in favour of his adopted son.

Singh was born on 22 October 1845. He was the third son of Takht Singh of Jodhpur (1819–13 February 1873) the Maharaja of Jodhpur, and his first wife, Gulab Kunwarji Maji. He was educated privately, and little is known of his early life. He received administrative training under Maharaja Ram Singh of Jaipur, whose brother Maharaja Jaswant Singh of Jodhpur then invited him to his State.

From 1878 to 1895, Singh served as Chief Minister for Jodhpur following his father's death in 1873 and his eldest brother's succession to the throne. After his brother's death in 1895, he served as regent for his fifteen-year-old nephew and heir to the Jodhpur throne until 1898, then again for his grandnephew from 1911 to 1918 and finally for his second grandnephew from 1918 until his own death in 1922. In total, Pratap Singh had served four rulers of Jodhpur for over four decades. Following the death of the ruler of Idar in 1901, Pratab Singh was Maharajah of that state from 1902 until he resigned in 1911 to return to Jodhpur. He travelled to Europe often and was close to Queen Victoria and her family, serving as aide-de-camp to Edward VII from 1887 to 1910. He was especially close towards his son, the future George V of the United Kingdom.