Sylvia, Queen of the Headhunters
A Review of Philip Eade's Biography of the Last Ranee of Sarawak
An outrageous self-publicist, schemer and socialite extraordinaire, Sylvia Brooke, whether one liked or loathed her, was clearly an unusual woman living in extraordinary times. Well-known in her lifetime, Brooke is a woman little written about in recent years but in Sylvia, Queen of the Headhunters Philip Eade has helped to secure her place in history and has succeeded in providing a fascinating and unbiased account of the fame and infamy of Sylvia Brooke.
Rajah of Sarawak
Covering an area of roughly 40, 000 square miles, Sarawak is located on the eastern seaboard of Borneo and, prior to becoming Britain’s final colonial acquisition in 1946, was notable by virtue of being ruled by the last of the White Rajahs. Originally appointed Governor in 1841, Britain James Brooke was named Rajah of Sarawak in 1842 by the Sultan of Brunei. After James’ death, the Rajah passed to his brother Charles Anthoni Johnson Brooke and then on to his son Vyner Brooke 1917.
Queen of the Headhunters
Sylvia Brooke had led a troubled life long before she became the last Ranee of Sarawak. The daughter of the cold Viscount Esher and his wife Elizabeth, Sylvia had attempted suicide twice by the age of 12. Having a love of both fame and adventure, Sylvia embarked on a career as an author, impressing patrons such as George Bernard Shaw and JM Barrie, in which she met with reasonable success.
At the age of 24 Sylvia joined an all-female choral orchestra established by Margaret, the then Ranee of Sarawak, (a woman who clearly desired to provide her sons with a good pool of marriage material) and through that met her future husband Vyner. After Vyner became Rajah in 1917, Sylvia, much to her enjoyment, became Ranee of the tiny Sarawak and its population of 500, 000 Malay, Chinese and native Dyak.
The Brookes tried to be benevolent rulers and Sylvia clearly did love Sarawak, remarking that “the magic of it all possessed me, sight, sound and sense; there was in this abundant land everything for which my heart had yearned.” However, it is fair to say that Sylvia’s true love was the fair that her title brought her. Never one to let truth stand in the way of a good story, Sylvia styled herself as the Queen of the Headhunters even though the Dyaks had ceased coveting craniums some years earlier (although they did take up the practice again with vigour when the Japanese invading Sarawak during World War Two).
Eventually, Sylvia’s schemes and glory hunting actually helped to bring about the end of the White Rajah as, heavily influenced by his wife who wished to avoid her nephew gaining the throne, Vyner Brooke passed sovereignty of Sarawak to the British government in exchange for generous pensions for his family.
An Intriguing Character Study
Sylvia Brooke was clearly something of an enigma, described on one hand as “a charming, bright and vivacious lady who brought the charm of Mayfair to the Tropics” and on the other as “a dangerous woman, full of Machiavellian schemes … and spectacularly vulgar in her behaviour”. After reading Eade’s book, it is clear that while Sylvia Brooke might not have been the ideal person to spend any length of time with but she was clearly an independently minded character whose adventures and intrigues can certainly be enjoyed when considered from a distance.
Sylvia, Queen of the Headhunters is a biography that is incredibly hard to tear yourself away from. Even at her worst, Sylvia Brooke was a compelling character and her exploits are just as interesting now as they were at the time. In fact, given her character, if Sylvia Brooke were alive today, she would no doubt have her own MTV reality series.
Sylvia, Queen of the Headhunters: An Outrageous Englishwoman and Her Lost Kingdomby Philip Eade
ISBN 978-0753832811, Phoenix, 2008, £8.99, pp384
