Photography was invented at about the time that Duleep Singh was born in 1838 and this collection begins with one of the first photographs taken outside of Europe of the ten year old Maharajah taken by the East India Company in 1848. Through this collection of photographs on newspaper clippings Peter (Bhupinder Singh) Bance has pieced together the story of the first Sikh residents of Britain and has continued the story of the Maharajah’s family from where the earlier book by Christy Campbell, the Maharajah’s Box, left off.

Beginning with a straight forward summary of the early history of Duleep Singh and his Kingdom in Punjab, the story is brought right up to date with photos of places associated with the family such as the house in Holland Park, London which stands just a stones throw away from the present day Central Gurdwara.

The second half of the book tells the story, though photographs, of the Maharajah’s children, Queen Victoria’s God-children who were baptised as Christians, but retained the proud name of Duleep Singh. The young Princes supported their uncut hair until at least the age of 12. Prince Victor joined the Royal Military Academy, but resigned from the Army soon after becoming lieutenant in the 1^st Dragoon Guards, living a flamboyant lifestyle in London before marrying Lady Anne Blanche. He is buried in Monaco.

Prince Albert Edward Duleep Singh was a bright child as evidenced by a copy of his school report in the book, but he lived only until the age of thirteen. Prince Frederick gained a master’s degree in history from Cambridge and became a keen collector of old books and artefacts and kept a locket with a ringlet of his hair among his collection which was eventually donated to Inverness Museum. He also donated a house to the town of Thetford to be used as a museum. He is buried in Blo Norton in Norfolk.

The three Princesses, Catherine, Bamba and Sophia, seemed to take more interest in their heritage. Princess Catherine visited the Punjab in 1903. It was the discovery of a dormant Swiss bank account and security box in 2002 that led to much speculation and a rekindling of interest in the Mararajah’s children. She died in 1942 and was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium.

Princess Sophia was a leading light in the Women’s Suffragette movement and the book includes an account of a court appearance she made in this connection. During the First World War she visited wounded Indian soldiers in Brighton Pavilion and obliged some of them by giving them signed photos of “Maharajah Ranjit Singh’s grand-daughter. She also was in correspondence with her cousin Sardar Gurdit Singh Sandhawalia. She was also cremated at Golders Green and asked that her ashes be taken to India.

Princess Bamba frequently visited India and was forced to stay in Lahore when the Second World War broke out. On her return to England she began styling herself as Queen of the Punjab. She died in Lahore, where she was visited regularly by Pritam Singh and Beant Singh Sandhawalia, in 1957. Her funeral was conducted under Christian rights, but due to the sensitive relations between India and Pakistan after partition no Sikhs were present. Maharajah Duleep Singh had two further daughters by is second wife, but none of his children had any offspring and so bringing to an end the legacy of Maharajah Ranjit Singh.

Peter Bance has indeed managed to create a photo album that gives a fascinating insight into the life of the Maharajah and more importantly tells the untold story of his children. A worthy addition to any collection.

Bhupinder Singh
14/4/04