Speaking with the curators of Kensington Palace's new exhibition about the radical lives of The Last Princesses of Punjab

The Last Princesses of Punjab, a new exhibition at Kensington Palace, sheds light on the remarkable life of Princess Sophia Duleep Singh, a trailblazing Suffragette and goddaughter of Queen Victoria, through a rich collection of rarely seen objects, personal photographs, and letters. In our interview, Polly Putnam, Curator, Collections at Historic Royal Palaces, and Dr Mishka Sinha, Curator for Inclusive History at Historic Royal Palaces, discuss how the exhibition re-examines royal history through the interconnected lives of the influential women around her, and brings new perspectives to Sophia’s legacy.

Walpole: This exhibition celebrates the 150th birthday of Punjabi princess, Sophia Duleep Singh. Can you tell us more about her and her impact on British history?

Polly: Princess Sophia is best remembered for her contributions to women's suffrage, the right for women to vote. She was an active member of the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) and the Women's Tax Resistance League who campaigned under the slogan, "No Vote, No Tax". She was taken to court three times for refusal to pay taxes, saying at Spelthorne County Court in 1913, “If am I not a fit person for the purposes of representation, why should I be a fit person for taxation?” She used her royal status as a Princess of Punjab, her wealth, and her celebrity to support and bring attention to this important cause and also many others (in the exhibition, we also focus on her support for Indian soldiers during the First World War).

Sophia is not the only women to be celebrated in this exhibition. Can you tell us a bit more about her relatives who also feature?

Mishka: You can't really understand Sophia without recognising the role of the strong, resilient women around her and in her family, in shaping the person she became. The exhibition opens with a portrait of Maharani Jind Kaur, Sophia's paternal grandmother and the mother of Duleep Singh, the last Maharajah of Punjab. Jind Kaur ruled as his regent when he came to the throne as a young child. She became a figurehead of resistance to British rule, leading armies and making a daring escape from prison, trekking 800 miles across the Himalayas to Nepal. Punjab was annexed by the British East India Company, and Jind was separated from her son for 13 and a half years. When they reunited, Jind came to Britain to be with her son, and lived and died here in exile.

Separated from his mother aged nine, Duleep converted to Christianity and moved to Britain. He was a favourite of Queen Victoria, who ensured the family had royal status and wealth. Sophia's mother, Bamba (meaning 'pink', in Arabic), was the daughter of an enslaved Ethiopian woman and a German banker who grew up in Cairo, and was educated at the American Presbyterian Mission school. She became a lay teacher at the mission, but reluctantly gave up her vocation to marry Duleep. Though lonely in her resplendent new life, and abandoned in later life by her husband, Maharani Bamba held resolutely to her Christian faith, and poured her love and care into bringing up her "dear, good children".

Sophia's two sisters used their status to further causes they believed in. Catherine was a prominent member of the National Union of Woman's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) who campaigned via peaceful means. She moved to Kassel, Germany to be with her beloved Lina Schäffer, where the two women lived together, described as being “like two little country mice”. On her return to England in 1938, she acted as a guarantor to ensure that at least eleven Jewish refugees could live in England to escape Nazi persecution.

The eldest sister, also called Bamba, chose to move to Lahore, once the capital of her father and grandfather's empire, and remain there for over half a century, fighting to reclaim her family's lost lands and heritage. Constantly surveilled and ostracised by British residents, Princess Bamba built close networks with extended family and local aristocracy, and hosted prominent Indian political activists and anti-imperialists, including Lala Lajpat Rai, Gopal Krishna Gokhale and Sarala Devi Choudhrani.

What was her (and her relatives’) connection to Kensington Palace?

Polly: Kensington Palace is the birthplace and childhood home to Queen Victoria, godmother to Sophia Duleep Singh. Victoria's role in the lives of the family was both personal and political. The Sikh Empire was conquered and ruled by the British in her name, but in her private life Victoria expressed empathy and friendship towards the deposed Maharajah. She ensured that the sisters had sufficient wealth, status, and security, enabling them to have the independence and means to further the causes they believed in.

Beyond this being the anniversary of her birth, why is now a good time to be speaking about and celebrating Sophia, and the other South Asian women in this exhibition?

Polly: It is always a great time to be telling women's stories and history. Women's stories often remain obscured and untold, and it’s a privilege to tell some great ones in this exhibition.

What is a specific artefact you would draw a visitor's attention to in the exhibition, and why is it so important?

Polly: We have a small pendant necklace in the exhibition which was given by Princess Catherine to Ursula Hornstein, one of the Jewish refugees. It is from Lahore and probably dates to the time of Jind Kaur. In turn, Ursula gave it to her son, Michael, who kindly agreed to be interviewed for the exhibition. The fact that he intends to give it to his own daughter is only possible because of Catherine acted as a guarantor, giving refuge to his family. It speaks to the long history told in the exhibition but also to its continued relevance and presence today.

Mishka: The starting point of the exhibition is a striking portrait of Maharani Jind Kaur, commissioned by Duleep Singh to commemorate the reunion with his mother, and painted in Kensington by George Richmond. Robed in rich blue, arrayed in her magnificent jewellery (signifying her royal status and dignity), Jind Kaur reclines, imperious even in exile. The portrait drew vast crowds when displayed after her death at the Royal Academy, and holds the visitor's gaze with the same power and magnetism even today.

What piece of information or artefact did you discover during your curation of this exhibition that surprised you?

Polly: The Women's Tax Resistance League banner in the show was made by the Suffrage Atelier. What I didn't realise is that it was based in Kensington, so it was probably made within minutes of the palace it's now on display at. It reflects so much of the show, which tells a story that is simultaneously both local and global, personal and political.

Mishka: Sophia's striving to navigate her complex heritage and find her own sense of identity, which comes across so vividly in her diary. It feels so relatable, especially today.

Is there another historical figure connected to the Historic Royal Palaces that you would love to curate an exhibition around?

Polly: I'd love to tell Princess Louise's story. She lived at Kensington Palace and was the artist behind the statue of Queen Victoria in front of the palace today. She moved in the same circles as Princess Sophia and other suffragettes, and hung out with some of the best known and most respected artists of the time. In my view, she’s probably the coolest woman to have ever lived at Kensington Palace.

Mishka: I would love to do an exhibition about Queen Victoria's imperial godchildren from other royal families: the royal children she adopted from different parts of the empire, or places where Britain had political and economic influence.

The Last Princesses of Punjab runs until 8th November 2026 at Kensington Palace, London. Find out more