Sisterhood of defiance: ‘The Last Princesses of Punjab’ exhibition at Kensington Palace
An exhibition at Kensington Palace titled 'The Last Princesses of Punjab' explores the lives of the daughters of Maharaja Duleep Singh. The display uses personal artifacts to examine themes of exile, identity, and the complex relationship between the British Crown and the deposed Sikh royalty.
Why it matters
The exhibition provides a nuanced look at colonial history and the personal experiences of those caught between imperial power and their own cultural heritage.
On the front cover of Sikh historian Peter Bance’s The Last Royals of Lahore , Princess Catherine is captured in a studio portrait of quiet, distant contemplation. Her head is draped loosely in shimmering silk; her necklaces and pearls radiate an old-world opulence that seems to weigh heavily upon her.
At first glance, these are the standard accoutrements of Indian royalty. But look closer: her earring is not pierced through the ear, but held by a fine, looped thread. It is a silent act of defiance, a sartorial compromise that allowed her to inhabit her South Asian identity without transgressing the Victorian social norms that deferred ear piercing for young girls. It is an almost invisible detail, yet it reveals the deep tensions of a lost empire surfacing through the fault lines of adornment.
Princess Catherine on the front cover of historian Peter Bance’s The Last Royals of Lahore
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