The 150th birthday of Punjabi princess and suffragette icon Sophia Duleep Singh will be celebrated in a new exhibition at Kensington Palace.
The exhibition called The Last Princesses of Punjab: The story of Sophia Duleep Singh and the women who shaped her will open on 26 March 2026.
It will explore the lives of Princess Sophia, her sisters Catherine and Bamba, as well as their mother Bamba Müller, grandmother Jind Kaur and godmother Queen Victoria.
Sophia is well-known for her activism in support of women’s right to vote. The exhibition will explore her commitment to the cause with several items, such as an original copy of The Suffragette featuring an iconic image of Sophia on the cover, selling newspapers near Hampton Court Palace. It will also include Sophia’s spoiled 1911 census record, which reads, “No Vote, No Census.”
Sophia’s grandmother, Jind Kaur, was a Maharani who was regent of the Sikh Empire on behalf of her son, Duleep Singh. She was eventually imprisoned and separated from her son for 13 years, during which time he was sent to live in England. A necklace confiscated from her by the East India Company in 1848 (before being returned) will also be on display, along with a gold bangle set with sapphires. This bangle was later passed to Duleep’s wife, Bamba. The exhibition will feature a letter she wrote in both Arabic and English.
Sophia and her sisters grew up in England but were still considered outsiders by some. A portrait of three sisters as debutantes will also go on display alongside the white gloves worn by Sophia in the photo.
Her sister, Catherine, acted as a “guarantor” for Jewish refugees escaping Nazi Germany and went on to become an icon for LGBTQ South Asian women. She led a quiet life in Germany with her former chaperone, Lina Schaeffer, with whom she had an intimate relationship. Letters between Sophia and Catherine in the exhibition will give a glimpse of Catherine’s feelings for Lina.
Her sister, Bamba, returned to live in Lahore in the 1940s and went on to claim their father’s vast lands. Several sarees worn by the Princess will be on display in the exhibition.
Polly Putnam, Curator of The Last Princesses of Punjab, said, “Kensington Palace was the childhood home of Queen Victoria, Godmother to Princess Sophia Duleep Singh, and it is a privilege to tell this story in a space that has long represented the lives of royal women. The Last Princesses of Punjab will invite visitors to examine the lives of Sophia and the women who shaped her through the lens of resistance, heritage and identity, displaying objects from their lives alongside contemporary responses to exhibition themes.”
Mishka Sinha, Exhibition Historian for The Last Princesses of Punjab, said, “We are thrilled to be celebrating the 150th birthday of Princess Sophia Duleep Singh in this new exhibition at Kensington Palace. Visitors will have the chance to explore the stories of royal women from one family who lived in very different worlds from one generation to the next. The exhibition is an opportunity to centre powerful women in this chapter of our shared history, and we hope that visitors will be surprised, moved, and inspired by what they find.”
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