In the 1930s, an English condiment heir living a quiet suburban life in London received an invitation that completely altered his trajectory. Bertram “Bertie” William Sheldrake, a local pickle manufacturer, was formally asked to become the monarch of a newly formed state in the remote deserts of China.
He accepted the offer, packed his bags, and set off on a camel train across Asia to claim his throne. This is the documented account of how an ordinary British businessman briefly became known to the world as His Majesty King Khalid of Islamestan.
From London to Islamic Philanthropy
Born in London in 1888, Bertram Sheldrake was the son of a Roman Catholic condiment manufacturer. In 1903, he converted to Islam and changed his first name to Khalid.
As an adult, he commuted daily from Forest Hill to the family pickle factory in Denmark Hill. He dedicated his free time to his faith, founding the Muslim News Journal and financing new mosques in southeast London. His wife, Sybil, also converted and changed her name to Ghazia.
The Royal Invitation
During the early 1930s, the Xinjiang region in China fell into chaos amid local rebellions. Several short-lived states emerged, including the First East Turkestan Republic (ETR). The leaders of the ETR sought international recognition.
In 1933, an ETR delegation traveled to London, visited Sheldrake at his home, and officially invited him to become their head of state. Sheldrake welcomed the delegation and accepted their offer to rule the region they called Islamestan.
The Journey to Kashgar
Sheldrake departed for Asia, traveling by ocean liner to Hong Kong and arriving in Beijing in May 1934. Operating out of a hotel room, he met with another delegation and formally accepted the title of “His Majesty King Khalid of Islamestan.” British newspapers quickly nicknamed him “The Pickle King of Tartary.”
Ghazia joined her husband in the Far East. Together, they left Beijing and began a journey by camel train toward Kashgar, their intended capital.
A Kingdom Lost to Warlords
Before the Sheldrakes could reach their destination, geopolitical tensions dismantled their plans. The Soviet Union, Japan, and China opposed Sheldrake’s impending coronation, while rumors spread that he was a British spy. By August 1934, as the couple approached Xinjiang, the ETR coalition collapsed.
Soviet-backed forces led by warlord Sheng Shicai seized control of the region. Without ever setting foot in his intended kingdom, Sheldrake fled to British India. He eventually returned to England, where he died in 1947.