The Punjabi princess who fought for women's rights

The surprising and contradictory life of a British Indian aristocrat who became a Suffragette, criticised the British rule in India and was also the goddaughter of Queen Victoria, is being explored in an exhibition at Kensington Palace.

Princess Sophia Duleep Singh was born on 8 August 1876 in Belgravia, west London and spent her whole life in the capital while her other relatives moved to Europe or returned to India.

Now, 150 years after her birth, her life is being told through photographs, personal possessions, letters and historical documents and the people who influenced her political beliefs and values.

After the deaths of his father and brother, Duleep Singh became ruler of the kingdom at the age of five, but was removed from the throne after Britain annexed the Punjab in 1849.

At the age of 15, he arrived in England and ended up spending the rest of his life in the country after being separated from his mother.

Over the years, he became close to Queen Victoria.

As a result, Sophia grew up with wealth and privilege and was a well-known socialite who moved in British aristocratic circles.

The show also focuses on the five women who influenced her: Queen Victoria, her mother, Bamba Müller, as well as her sisters Catherine and Bamba and her grandmother Jind Kaur.

Exhibition historian Dr Mishka Sinha said: "Her older sister went and lived in Lahore… her middle sister went and lived in Germany."

Sophia became politically active after Queen Victoria's death in 1901.

She became increasingly aware of the circumstances that led to Punjab being annexed by the British and her ideas on the empire changed.

"She also starts to meet Indian anti-imperialist workers, so people who are fighting against the British and who are agitating against British injustice.

"And she starts to recognise the problems of the British Empire, which she wouldn't have necessarily seen while she was living in Britain," Sinha said.

The princess also met Indian nationalist figures including Gopal Krishna Gokhale and Lala Lajpat Rai, as well as women campaigning for women's rights in India.

On display is an original copy of The Suffragette, which has the famous photograph of her selling the newspaper outside Hampton Court Palace.

Sophia attended meetings across London, including the Black Friday demonstration in 1910 where women faced violence.

This prompted the princess to write to the then Home Secretary Winston Churchill.

"These are scenes, these are images that you don't expect to see of a princess, let alone a South Asian princess," Sinha said.

Her campaigning was not only confined to demonstrations - in 1911, she refused to take part in the national census.

Sinha added: "Sophia refused to sign it… she spoiled the census by writing across it, if women do not count, they refuse to be counted."

She also joined in the Women's Tax Resistance League, refusing to pay taxes while women were denied the vote, an action which saw her taken to court leading to some of her belongings being seized and sold.

Sophia inherited her independent spirit from her grandmother Jind Kaur who fought against the British Empire as it sought control of Punjab, Sinha explained.

Even after the Anglo-Sikh wars, which she lost, Jind continued to fight for her son.

"Jind Kaur stands for that indomitable spirit that fought against the British Empire… the sisters, I think, inherited some of this."

English Heritage also said that by 1907 the princess had moved from loyalty to "overt criticism of British rule in India".

Her story has largely been forgotten about since her death in 1948.

"Stories that get told and stories that are remembered are stories that the powerful are interested in.

"Often the stories about the powerless are forgotten."

Sinha added: "We want these stories to make people feel that they can be comfortable with this complexity of identity."

The Last Princess of Punjab is on display at Kensington Palace until 8 November.

Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk