All Malaysians are familiar with the story of the three white Rajahs who ruled the kingdom of Sarawak for over a century. First, there was the first Rajah, Sir James Brooke, who expanded the kingdom into what it is today. Then, there was his nephew, Sir Charles Brooke. Finally, there was Sir Vyner Brooke, the last white Rajah.
It is well known that the second white Rajah, Sir Charles Brooke, had a wife named Margaret Alice Lili de Windt or Ranee Margaret Brooke. The couple was blessed with six children, three of whom died on a voyage to the United Kingdom in 1873. The surviving three were raised in Sarawak and the oldest of them, Vyner Brooke, became the third Rajah following the death Sir Charles.
Unknown to many, Sir Charles had another son with a native woman who, according to the rightful order of succession, should have been the one to inherit the throne. This was because he was the oldest of all of Sir Charles' children. He was Isaac Brooke, and he was born on August 26, 1867 in Simanggang, Sarawak. His mother was Dayang Mastiah binti Abang Aing, the sister of Abang Arif bin Abang Aing. Abang Arif was the Senior Native Officer for Fort Lubok Antu.
Legend has it that the first Rajah, Sir James Brooke did not sire any legitimate children of his own and only had one son, Reuben George Brooke, out of wedlock, which did not entitle him to the Brooke estate. So, in 1861, Sir James formally named Captain John Brooke Johnson, his sister's eldest son, as his successor. However, James later disinherited John in favour of John's younger brother, Charles. While exploring the capital city of Kuching, the Tuan Muda Charles Brooke was introduced to Dayang Mastiah. Charles was so enamored by her beauty that he married her. However, both their marriage and the birth of their son, Isaac, was not made public.
Many believe that since Tuan Muda Charles was the successor to Sir James, the Church of England opposed his marriage to a native woman. A year later, Sir James Brooke died, and Charles succeeded his uncle as the second white Rajah of Sarawak. Meanwhile, Isaac was raised by his mother among the locals in Kuching, although his father did visit him occasionally.
As heir to the throne, Charles was expected to get married to an English lady of a respectable family to continue the legacy of the Brooke family. So, Charles married Margaret Alice Lili de Windt in Highworth, Wiltshire on October 28, 1869. She was raised to the title of Ranee of Sarawak on the same day. The young Rajah brought his new Ranee with him back to Sarawak the following year.
Sources say that Margaret learned that she was the Rajah's second wife only after she set foot in Kuching. Despite her position as queen, it is said that Margaret lived in fear that her oldest surviving son with Charles would not inherit the throne as long as Isaac was around. Even the death of her husband's first wife in 1872 did not ease her insecurities.
As a result, arrangements were made for Isaac to be taken away from the land of his birth. He was adopted by a pastor named Reverend William Yate Daykin and his family, who were later ordered to move to Ontario, Canada. Isaac was later renamed Esca Brooke-Daykin. Esca was educated at Trinity College School, Port Hope, and was then sent to Queen’s University of Kingston. It is said that he never spoke about his old life in Sarawak or his connections to the Brooke family.
However, many members of the elite in Ontario were familiar with his story. In his adulthood, Isaac married a Canadian woman named Edith Webster Ottawa. Based on a book written by Cassandra Pybus entitled 'White Figure: The Dynasty Intrigue', Isaac and his family were well-received by the Canadian elite since many wealthy white families were more than happy to be associated with the Brookes, who they saw as royalty.
Meanwhile, in Sarawak, Isaac's half-brother, Vyner, succeeded their father as the third white Rajah just as Margaret had wanted. However, he suffered a great loss following the Japanese Occupation of Sarawak and was forced to hand over his family's kingdom to the British government. Hence, the once independent kingdom of Sarawak become a British colony.
In 2009, the story of the untold Sarawakian mulatto prince was somewhat revived when the 54-year-old great-granddaughter of Esca Brooke-Daykin, Deborah Falls Lockhart and her family arrived in modern day Sarawak, now a part of the federation of Malaysia. The arrival of the Lockharts was highly publicized and was widely covered by many local newspapers at the time.
