BY Richard Brown
For too long, the narrative of the British women’s suffrage movement has been dominated by a narrow set of figures. However, recent exhibitions and historical deep-dives are finally shining a spotlight on pioneers like Princess Sophia Duleep Singh (1876–1948), whose unique background as a Punjabi Princess, Queen Victoria’s goddaughter, and militant activist made her one of the most provocative and effective campaigners for the vote.
Princess Sophia was the daughter of Maharajah Duleep Singh, the last ruler of the Sikh Empire, who was exiled to Britain. Despite her privileged upbringing, which included a grace-and-favour residence at Faraday House, Hampton Court Palace, Sophia became a fierce critic of British rule in India and a radical member of the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU).
From High Society to High Stakes Protest
Sophia shrewdly used her celebrity status and royal connections to generate maximum publicity for the cause, often to the profound embarrassment of the Royal Family.
Her most famous acts of defiance include:
- Tax Resistance: As a dedicated member of the Women’s Tax Resistance League, whose rallying cry was “no taxation without representation,” Sophia repeatedly refused to pay taxes. This act of civil disobedience was so persistent that it resulted in her property, including a seven-stone diamond ring, being impounded and auctioned by bailiffs in 1911.
- Confrontation: She was a frontline activist, participating in the brutal 1910 demonstration known as ‘Black Friday’, and famously throwing herself at Prime Minister H.H. Asquith’s car while slamming a “Votes for Women” pamphlet onto his window.
- Palace Protest: She regularly sold the militant newspaper, The Suffragette, directly outside the gates of Hampton Court Palace. Her presence there, right under the nose of the establishment that housed her, was a constant, public challenge that police were hesitant to deal with due to her high profile.
Westferry Times Opinion: A Legacy of Inspirational Audacity
The Westferry Times believes that Princess Sophia Duleep Singh’s story is not merely a historical footnote; it is a vital, inspiring testament to the power of commitment over comfort. Her audacious use of her status to challenge the very foundations of the British establishment deserves not only recognition but celebration. She serves as a powerful symbol of the fact that the fight for universal rights has always been a diverse, global endeavour. For a woman of her position to voluntarily embrace risk and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with her less privileged sisters is a remarkable example of moral courage that remains profoundly relevant today.
A Champion for Diverse Causes
Sophia’s activism extended beyond British women’s rights. After an eye-opening trip to India, she became a staunch supporter of the Indian independence movement.
During the First World War, she volunteered as a Red Cross nurse in the Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) and dedicated herself to caring for wounded Indian soldiers at Brighton Pavilion and other hospitals. She frequently provided them with signed photographs and gifts, an act deeply appreciated by the men who saw her as the granddaughter of the great Ranjit Singh.
Princess Sophia Duleep Singh’s unwavering dedication to social justice, stretching from London’s most elegant drawing rooms to its most contentious protest lines, ensured that she lived to see the Equal Franchise Act pass in 1928, granting women over 21 the same voting rights as men. Her life serves as a powerful reminder that the fight for equality transcended class, race, and nationality.
(The facts presented in this article are derived from various publicly available historical records, including those held by English Heritage and The National Archives, and are consistent with academic sources on the subject.)
