A new exhibition at Kensington Palace will tell the remarkable story of Queen Victoria’s goddaughter, Princess Sophia Duleep Singh, and five other royal women who became powerful changemakers.
The Last Princesses of Punjab: The story of Sophia Duleep Singh and the women who shaped her, opens on 26th March, 2026, marking the princess’ 150th birthday.
The exhibition explores the lives of Princess Sophia along with her sisters Catherine and Bamba, Mother Bamba Muller, Grandmother Jind Kaur and Godmother Queen Victoria. These six royal women were said to have expressed womanhood, power, and royalty in different ways, infusing their identities and heritage into the causes they devoted themselves to.
Who was Princess Sophia Duleep Singh?
She is best known for her activism in support of women’s right to vote, as a suffragette who used her position to further the cause.
In The Last Princesses of Punjab, groups will learn more about her commitment to women’s suffrage through items including an original copy of The Suffragette featuring the iconic image of Sophia selling copies of the newspaper on the gate of Hampton Court Palace, where she was granted a residence by her godmother Queen Victoria.
“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.”
Exhibition historian Mishka Sinha
The image caused a scandal in 1913 as it was considered evidence of her support of a “dangerous” cause. Princess Sophia’s spoiled 1911 census record reading “No Vote, No Census” will also be displayed, alongside a photograph of Princesses Sophia and Catherine attending a Suffrage dinner in 1930, demonstrating their prominent role in the movement.
It is the first time that Queen Victoria’s childhood home will offer an intimate look into lives shaped by the Empire, focusing on the women of a royal dynasty whose destinies were profoundly and violently transformed by it. These women became powerful changemakers in their own right, using their influence to champion causes that mattered to them.There will also be several items that illustrate the stories of the five women and their relationships with Queen Victoria, the Empire, and each other.
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.”
The voice of British South Asian women today will be present throughout the exhibition, responding to themes of identity, expression, and resistance. Historic Royal Palaces partnered with local British South Asian community groups to create responses to themes in the exhibition, including a film by a mother and daughter which explores the generations of women shaped by empire and its lasting legacy.
Exhibition historian Mishka Sinha added: “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.”
Entry to the exhibition is included in palace admission. Tickets are on sale now. For more information, including group visits, head to www.hrp.org.uk/kensington-palace
