Book Travel with The Other Princess

Submitted: 19th February 2025

Let’s book travel to The Other Princess

This book looks at a very significant but relatively unknown part of British history. I read it with interest but then became utterly fascinated in what it was all about.

Locations in The Other Princess

The Other Princess Denny S. Bryce

Locations in The Other Princess

The blurb:

1850. A ship sets sail from the West coast of Africa, bound for the distant shores of England. It carries on board a young princess who, at seven years old, has faced unimaginable trauma in her homeland, and must brave an uncertain future. Aina will disembark under grey skies as Sarah Forbes Bonetta, an exotic trophy to be presented to Queen Victoria as a ‘gift’.

Sarah Forbes Bonetta (c) Wikipedia

Locations in The Other Princess

Sarah Forbes Bonetta

This is such a remarkable story and Sarah a remarkable lady!

She started life in West Africa (SW Nigeria today) as the African orphan who became the protégée of Queen Victoria. She was captured as a child and held in captivity by the King of Dahomey before she was gifted to a British naval captain and taken to England. Gifted! Well that got me wanting to read more….

Once in London, Queen Victoria took her under her wing.

Locations in The Other Princess

By the time she had become an adult, she was very much part of Victorian high society and a bit of a celebrity. In those days, when people of colour were judged in all manner of ways, she was one of the few who were even seen anywhere near royal circles or high society. So, she became part of the debate of the time about race, slavery and of course empire.

I realised I had never heard of Sarah. Shocking I know, but I love history so was very keen to find out more.

The research was impeccable – she moves, well is taken, from West Africa to London and ends up in Portugal. It was very interesting to explore Sarah’s early life as Aina, the Egbado princess, and how she ended up enslaved in the first place.

She was born in a small village which had just become independent from The Kingdom of Dahomey – this existed from approximately 1600 until 1904.

Sarah speaks in the first person in this book so you really hear her voice and can put yourself in her shoes. She’s afraid in many ways of being sent back to Africa and so tries to hard to fit in with what is expected. She is an exciting and fascinating character but one thrust into a very royal and staid environment. Can the royals turn this ‘savage’ into someone they accept?

That was the biggest shock of this book – it was as if they took her to England as their plaything, their experiment. They were going to see what she would become. How she would be their poster girl for the good that British Colonialism could do.

Locations in The Other Princess

Tell you what, Sarah is a remarkable woman. She wins everyone over and Queen Victoria is impressed by her musical talent. I liked how she was friendly with Princess Alice and how she liked dresses and fancy things just like every other little girl.

There are key historical moments in the book – especially the death of Prince Albert….

Prince Albert

And her marriage, when she was commanded by the Queen to marry Captain James Pinson Labulo Davies at St Nicholas’ Church in Brighton:

Locations in The Other Princess

She is now buried in Portugal – Her grave is number 206 in the British Cemetery of Funchal near the Anglican Holy Trinity Church, Rua Quebra Costas Funchal, Madeira.

What a fascinating story and part of history!

Well worth a read.