Princess Sophia Duleep Singh (1876-1948) has been remembered in a new Royal Mail Stamp. The recognition comes as an acknowledgement of her participation in England’s Suffragette movement.
Here are a few things to know about her:
- Sophia was the daughter of Maharaja Duleep Singh and his first wife, Bamba Muller. Her godmother was Queen Victoria. She lived in Hampton Court in an apartment given to her by Queen Victoria. Her father was the one who had abdicated his kingdom to the British at the age of 11 and had given the Koh-i-Noor diamond to Queen Victoria.
- She joined the Women’s Social and Political Union in 1909, after a secret trip to India. This trip was a turning point for her because she saw what her family had lost by giving in to the British. She also met freedom fighters and expressed sympathy towards them.
- A very politically active person, she campaigned for votes for women in Richmond and Kingston-upon-Thames.
- She was often seen selling the newspaper 'The Suffragette' outside her place of residence, and the stamp has a photo of her selling the paper.
- The princess also led a 400 women strong demonstration to Parliament on November 18, 1910, also known as Black Friday because an altercation with the police, left over 150 women assaulted.
- She belonged to the Women’ Tax Resistance League, which said that no vote, no tax. She herself refused to pay tax and was even prosecuted many times because of it. Many of her possessions were also taken away
- She was also a fund-raiser for Indian troops. She wasn’t afraid to put herself on the line and fight for causes she believed in.
London honours other Indian-origin suffragettes:
Further, London is honouring other Indian-origin suffragettes as well. An exhibition on suffragettes at Trafalgar Square includes a life-size image of Lolita Roy. She was the president of the London Indian Union.
“Those who fought to establish their right – my right, every woman’s right – to vote in elections, to stand for office and to take their full and rightful place in public life did so in the face of fierce opposition, said PM Theresa May.
“They persevered in spite of all danger and discouragement because they knew their cause was right,” she said in a speech in Manchester, a centre of activism for the suffragette movement and the birthplace and home of Pankhurst,” said Prime Minister Theresa May on the occasion.
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