Sundeep Braich is a heritage detective investigating the Duleep Singh family and the Koh-i-Noor diamond story. In March 2026 Sundeep was invited to the press preview of 'The Last Princesses of Punjab: Sophia Duleep Singh and the women who shaped her' exhibition at Kensington Palace. Impressive as it is, the exhibition cannot cover everything, so here Sundeep fills in some gaps to highlight the other parts of an extraordinary family's legacy.
This talk will focus on two English women who married into the Indian royal family connected to the Koh-i-Noor diamond, now held at the Tower of London as British Crown regalia.
In 1889, English chambermaid Ada Douglas Wetherill married Maharajah Duleep Singh, the last Maharajah of the Punjab, exiled to England and forever linked to the Koh-i-Noor diamond. Nine years later, his eldest son Prince Victor married Lady Anne Coventry, daughter of the 9th Earl of Coventry, the first church marriage between an Indian prince and English aristocracy.
These two women's lives, so different in origin, raise questions that still resonate: what does class really mean? What does love look like across cultures and centuries? And what do their stories teach us about heritage?
Sundeep's article 'All That Shaped a Punjabi Princess,' published in the Church Times (22 May 2026), can be read online at churchtimes.co.uk ahead of this event.
Related event: Ada Douglas Wetherill's daughter: 'A Forgotten Princess: The Centenary of Irene Duleep Singh (1926-2026)'.
Timings
Available anytime
Booking information
- Pre-booking requirement:
- Pre-booking not required
Accessibility details
The Zoom link will go live on the website the date of the event.
Additional information
The Zoom link will go live on the website the date of the event.
- Max number of people:
- 100
- Estimated duration:
- 1 hour(s) 30 minute(s)
