"I’m overwhelmed with the kindness and simplicity the village heads have shown me and my family and the respect to my late father. This is a huge responsibility for me to take my father’s legacy forward in whatever way I can," Saif said in a statement.
"This is a deeply personal part of my life. Princely titles no longer exist, but family values and tradition do…I shall be conscious of this always and do the best I can for Pataudi," he added.
Saif was Monday anointed the 10th Nawab of Pataudi at a ceremony at the family’s Ibrahim Palace in Pataudi. Heads of various villages of the area tied a white turban (pagri) around his head to annoint him the new nawab. His mother Sharmila Tagore and sisters Saba Ali Khan and Soha Ali Khan were also present.
The 41-year-old’s father, popularly known as Tiger Pataudi, passed away Sep 22 in New Delhi’s Sir Gangaram Hospital after battling a severe lung infection.
