Gladys Milton Palmer, Dayang Muda of Sarawak, also known as Khair-ul-Nissa and Khair un-nisa binti 'Abdu'llah, (8 January 1884 – 12 June 1952) was a British film producer and heiress. Through her marriage to Bertram Willes Dayrell Brooke, she was a member of the ruling dynasty of

Sarawak Sarawak (; ) is a state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the Malaysian state of Sabah to the northeast, ...

Biography

Early life and family

Palmer was born on 8 January 1884 into a prominent Quaker family. She was the only child of Sir Walter Palmer, 1st Baronet and Jean Craig. Her paternal grandfather was George Palmer, a proprietor of Huntley & Palmers. Her maternal grandfather was the engineer and politician William Young Craig. She was a niece of George William Palmer and a great-niece of William Isaac Palmer.

Marriage and issue

On 28 June 1904 Palmer married Bertram Willes Dayrell Brooke, the son of Charles Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak and Margaret de Windt. Through this marriage she became a member of the ruling dynasty of the

Raj of Sarawak (While I breathe, I hope) , national_anthem = '' Gone Forth Beyond the Sea'' , capital = Kuching , common_languages = English, Iban, Melanau, Bidayuh, Sarawak Malay, Chinese etc. , government_type = Absol ...

. After her father-in-law died in 1917, her husband's older brother, Charles Vyner Brooke, succeeded the throne. Her husband was made heir presumptive and accorded the title Tuan Muda of Sarawak and style of '' Highness''. As the wife of the Tuan Muda, Palmer was accorded the title ''Dayang Muda'' and the style of ''Highness''. Palmer and Brooke had four children: *Jean Margaret Palmer Brooke *Elizabeth Brooke *Anne Elaine Primula Brooke * Anthony Walter Dayrell Brooke

Career

In 1922 Palmer formed a film company called Big Four Famous Productions Company. She produced one film, ''

Potter's Clay ''Potter's Clay'' is a 1922 British silent drama film directed by H. Grenville-Taylor and Douglas Payne and starring Ellen Terry, Dick Webb, and Peggy Hathaway.Low p.429 Cast * Ellen Terry as Lady Merrall * Dick Webb as Clifford Merrall ...

'' which featured the actress Dame Alice Ellen Terry.

Later life and death

In 1932 Palmer converted from Christianity to Islam. Stating that she wished her "conversion to be performed on no earthly territory", she chartered an

Imperial Airways Imperial Airways was the early British commercial long-range airline, operating from 1924 to 1939 and principally serving the British Empire routes to South Africa, India, Australia and the Far East, including Malaya and Hong Kong. Passengers ...

42-seat airliner to fly from Croydon Airport to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

. Another British Muslim convert,

Khalid Sheldrake Khalid Sheldrake (1888–1947), originally Bertram "Bertie" William Sheldrake, was an English pickle manufacturer and philanthropist who later converted to Islam. In 1934, he was briefly declared king of the short-lived state of Islamestan in ...

, conducted the ceremony over the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...

. Sheldrake gave her the Arabic name "Khair-ul-Nissa" ("fairest of women") or "Khair un-nisa binti 'Abdu'llah". Palmer died on 12 June 1952 and was buried at St Leonard's in

Sheepstor Sheepstor is a village, civil parish and former manor on the western side of Dartmoor in the county of Devon, England. In 2001, its population was 53, down from 95 in 1901. For administrative purposes the parish is grouped with the parishes of ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Palmer, Gladys Milton 1884 births 1952 deaths British film production company founders British women film producers British former Christians British Muslims Converts to Islam from Protestantism Former Quakers Daughters of baronets Gladys Milton Princesses by marriage Sarawak royalty