The story of Maharani Jind Kaur and her son, Maharaja Duleep Singh, the last ruler of Punjab who was forced to abdicate in 1849, is not a happy one. Defined by dispossession, exile and political erasure, it remains among the most emotionally charged legacies of Britain’s colonial past. 

A new exhibition at Kensington Palace revisits this history through a more intimate lens. Bringing together rarely seen objects, it tells a story not only of privilege but of loss and endurance, drawing on loans from British public institutions alongside pieces held in Punjabi Sikh collections.

One of the exhibition’s standout moments is a powerful portrait of Jind Kaur, shown alongside its preparatory sketch and items of her jewellery. Her jewellery was confiscated and some later returned. On loan from The Kapany Collection, the portrait alone is reason enough to visit.

Yet the exhibition’s centre lies with the next generation of women. Through letters, textiles and jewellery, it follows the lives of Jind Kaur’s granddaughters - Princess Sophia, Princess Catherine and Princess Bamba Duleep Singh - and their Ethiopian German mother, Bamba Müller, tracing the complicated inheritance of exile and displacement. 

The personal objects reveal Sophia’s involvement in the British suffrage movement, Catherine’s decision to shelter German Jewish refugees during the Second World War, and Bamba’s efforts to reclaim a broken legacy and keep her family’s history alive. I suspect many people will leave the exhibition wanting to learn know more about Jind Kaur herself and hopefully there will be future opportunities to do that.

Catch it while you can.

Exhibition Dates:

26 March to 8 November 2026

Exhibition Venue:

Kensington Palace, Kensington Gardens, London, W8 4PX

Accessible Venue / Please check the venue website for booking details before visiting/ Concessions Available