Editing Ranjitsinhji (section)

===Controversy in England===
Upon arriving in England, Ranjitsinhji hired a country house at [[Shillinglee]] and spent much of his time entertaining guests, hunting and playing cricket. Freed from his previous financial difficulties, he seems to have tried to repay the hospitality he had enjoyed. However, he made no attempt to pay for his expensive lifestyle and ignored requests for payment of bills, mostly from tradesmen, with result he ran up considerable debts.{{sfn|Wilde|1999|p=181}} Nevertheless, he came under increasing financial pressure throughout 1908. Mansur Khachar came to England in an attempt to recover his loan, and contacted the India Office. He claimed Ranjitsinhji repeatedly misled him, although he could not provide evidence for all of his statements. Ranjitsinhji denied many of the claims but agreed to repay the initial loan to prevent embarrassment if the story got out. He offered to repay half of the sum, but in the event gave back less than a quarter.{{sfn|Wilde|1999|pp=183–191}} Another dispute arose with Mary Tayler, an artist who was commissioned in April 1908 to create a miniature portrait of Ranjitsinhji at an agreed cost of 100 [[Guinea (British coin)|guineas]] for one and 180 guineas for a pair. Ranjitsinhji became increasingly uncooperative and when the finished work arrived two weeks afterwards, he eventually returned them, stating that he was dissatisfied with the likeness. In response, Tayler issued a writ for 180 guineas.{{sfn|Wilde|1999|p=196-197}} When the case came up at Brighton [[County court#England and Wales|county court]], Ranjitsinhji's solicitor, Edward Hunt, claimed that as a ruling sovereign, English courts had no authority over him.{{sfn|Ross|1983|p=195-198}} However, the Secretary of State for India, Lord Morley, became involved and Hunt offered to make a settlement. By August, after a delay of seven weeks, Tayler was told that the matter could not be settled as MacLaren, Ranjitsinhji's secretary and a vital witness, was injured. But when Tayler discovered that this was untrue,{{efn|Tayler discovered this upon reading of MacLaren's appearance in court over the non-payment of rent. MacLaren claimed that as Ranjitsinhji paid, he could not be prosecuted as a sovereign, but the magistrate ruled that MacLaren was responsible and so had to pay.{{sfn|Wilde|1999|p=33}}}} she wrote to the India Office. She had no proof that a fee was agreed, but in November the India Office decided Ranjitsinhji should pay £75 as a gesture of good faith, and criticised Ranjitsinhji and "his ridiculous private secretary".{{sfn|Kincaid|1931|p=191}} Ranjitsinhji also came before the courts over an 1896 [[loan covenant]] in a dispute between four women and himself and three other people. Ranjitsinhji had his name taken out of the claim on the grounds that he was a ruling sovereign, a view which was supported by the India Office.{{sfn|Wild|1934|p=202}}<ref name="ICC"/>

During his visit Ranjitsinhji resumed his first-class cricket career in the 1908 season,{{sfn|Wilde|1999|pp=191–194}} and also visited the Borrisow family in Gilling East. At the time, he was contemplating marriage and locals believed he was in love with Edith Borrisow. While he may have pursued the matter, objections from her father and the potential scandal in both British and [[Rajput]] circles at a mixed-race marriage prevented anything coming of it.{{sfn|Wilde|1999|pp=194–195}} In August 1908, Ranjitsinhji became involved in fund raising to restore the bell-tower of Gilling East parish church and to furnish it with a clock; he organised a cricket match involving famous cricketers playing against a local team and raised money through the sale of a photograph.{{sfn|Wilde|1999|pp=196–197}}

By the end of the season, Ranjitsinhji was under pressure. At a farewell dinner to celebrate his cricket feats, some notable figures from cricket and the India Office were absent. Rumours spread over his financial unreliability and stories appeared in the press that he was considering abdication.{{sfn|Wilde|1999|pp=201–202}} He felt betrayed by the government and criticised it in a speech at the dinner, and he felt unfairly blamed for the financial controversy.{{sfn|Wilde|1999|p=202}} However, [[Horatio Bottomley]], a [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]] MP began to publicly criticise Ranjitsinhji in his magazine ''[[John Bull (magazine)|John Bull]]'' in October and November, drawing attention to his debts, the court cases and the claim that he was exempt from the law. Concerned and embarrassed by the negative publicity, the India Office advised Ranjitsinhji to be more careful with money.{{sfn|Wilde|1999|pp=205–209}} Ranjitsinhji wrote back that he was "very hurt and annoyed at being continually thought ill of",{{sfn|Wilde|1999|p=204}} and also defended himself in a letter to the ''Times''. In December 1908, he returned to India although two months remained on his lease at Shillinglee.{{sfn|Wilde|1999|p=205}}