The Royal Rebel: The Life of Suffragette Princess Sophia Duleep Singh
Subtitled ‘The Life of Suffragette Princess Sophia Duleep Singh,’ this book relates this remarkable true story from the protagonist’s point of view. Sophia Duleep Singh was rarely referred to in histories of the British women’s suffrage movement before the 2015 publication of a biography by Anita Anand.
Sophia’s grandfather was a powerful and respected ruler in the Punjab. Due to British imperialism, her family was driven away from India and moved to England, where Queen Victoria became her godmother. The first section of the story takes place in England between 1884 and 1893. Readers gain insights into their lives, which were both privileged and circumscribed. Some years after the death of her parents, Sophia and her sisters returned to India, location of the book’s second section, where they were hurt and angered by the dismissive reception they received. As she learned more about how her family lost everything and the desire and determination of the Indian people for independence, Sophia decided to return to England where she believed she could do more to further this. In the third and final part of the book she describes her political work, initially helping Indian lascars, sailors stranded in London, and subsequently joining the Women’s Social and Political Union, taking a very active role in the campaign for women’s suffrage in Britain, for which she has been recognised at last.
The decision to have Sophia tell her own story rather than make this a third-person narrative makes this book very accessible, and great care has been taken by a publisher that aims to make books that are ‘super-readable’. This volume is enhanced by the lively drawings running across the foot of the pages, relating to and differentiating each section. An excellent addition to suffragette biographies for children previously dominated by the Pankhursts.
