A new exhibition has landed at Kensington Palace, telling the story of one of the most pioneering women in history, Sophia Duleep Singh. But who was she?
The exhibition, titled The Last Princesses of Punjab, tells the story of Sophia and the women who shaped her life; her sisters Catherine and Bamba, her mother, her grandmother and godmother Queen Victoria.
The exhibition was created to celebrate Sophia Duleep Singh’s 150th birthday.
Punjabi Princess and godaughter of Queen Victoria
Daughter of the last maharaja of Punjab, Sophia grew up as an aristocrat and later became an advocate and campaigner for women’s rights. The exhibition explores how Sophia and her sisters’ complicated relationship with empire and their identity links to the causes they supported.
This new exhibition brings together rarely seen objects, including letters and photographs, as well as audiovisual displays. Items include an ornately painted Indian rocking horse, and an Ottoman-style three piece outfit worn by Sophia in family photographs.
There are also voices from British South Asian community present throughout the exhibition, responding to themes of identity, expression, and resistance.
A trailblazing suffragette
Princess Sophia is best known today for her time as a suffragette. She used her high-profile status to campaign for women’s right to vote and was taken to court three times for refusing to pay her taxes, which is also highlighted at the exhibition through a handwritten letter to Winston Churchill reporting police brutality at the Black Friday suffragette march.
Polly Putnam, Curator of The Last Princesses of Punjab, said, “This exhibition reveals a story of courage, identity and resistance told through the lives of extraordinary women. Presenting it within Kensington Palace—where Queen Victoria spent her childhood—gives us a rare opportunity to reflect on their intertwined histories, and to present objects that speak to both a global story and the personal stories of these women.”
This exhibition runs until November and is included in palace admission.
