How this Indian princess used her royal jewels to defy the Nazis and save lives

If you walk into Kensington Palace expecting the usual, predictable display of glittering royal diamonds, a new exhibition is about to completely flip the script. Tucked away in a showcase is a mid-19th-century pendant. It isn't just a shiny bauble or a flex of royal wealth. It is a literal lifeline. Featured in the highly anticipated The Last Princesses of Punjab exhibition, this pendant is finally seeing the light of day.

And the story behind it is nothing short of a cinematic thriller. It originally belonged to Ursula Hornstein, a young Jewish girl who fled Germany just months before the Second World War erupted. Her unlikely savior? Catherine Duleep Singh, one of the last princesses of the Sikh Empire.

Back in 1938, the situation in Germany was growing increasingly terrifying. Catherine was spending time in the central German city of Kassel, living with her partner, Lina Schäfer. One day, while at a local doctor’s surgery, Catherine bumped into Ilse Hornstein. Ilse was frantic. Her husband was facing imminent danger at the notorious achsenhausen concentration camp. She had absolutely no idea that the woman she was pouring her heart out to was exiled Indian royalty. Catherine didn’t even blink. Moved entirely by compassion, she immediately offered to act as a guarantor so the Hornstein family could secure immigration papers to Britain.

(Image Credits: Pinterest)

Armed with this royal backing, Ilse took a massive risk. She put on a disguise, marched straight into the local Gestapo offices, and somehow managed to negotiate her husband's release by citing his service in the First World War. By 1939, the family had made it to the safety of England. When Ursula later converted to Christianity, Catherine gifted her the stunning pendant—a gesture that sealed a lifelong bond.

(Image Credits: Pinterest)

Catherine didn’t just stop with the Hornstein family. She was a quiet force of nature against the rising Nazi threat. She stepped up to guarantee the safety of others, including Wilhelm Meyerstein and Marieluise Wulff. She also opened her doors to shelter families like the Reichs and Gurtmanns, ultimately saving dozens of lives.

Michael Bowles, Ursula Hornstein's youngest son, shared how deeply emotional this history is for his family today. Calling it an honour to share their story, he explained that the pendant isn't just a piece of antique jewelry. “It's an incredible testament to someone being kind and generous,” Bowles noted, hoping that refugees today might be treated with that exact same kindness.

(Image Credits: Pinterest)

Courage, it seems, ran deep in the family’s blood. Curated by Polly Putnam, the exhibition also shines a massive spotlight on Catherine’s formidable sisters and ancestors. As descendants of Maharaja Duleep Singh, these women lived in exile but absolutely refused to fade quietly into the British background.

Sophia Duleep Singh, who was actually Queen Victoria's goddaughter, became a fierce suffragette. The exhibition features a striking photo of her selling The Suffragette newspaper outside Hampton Court Palace, alongside a censored 1911 census form protesting women's disenfranchisement.

Then there was Bamba Sutherland, who passionately fought to reclaim her family's taken lands in Lahore. Even their grandmother, Jind Kaur—the last Maharani of Punjab—is honoured through a portrait by George Richmond. Putnam notes that sketches of Kaur perfectly capture the sheer endurance of a woman who walked thousands of miles across mountains after being separated from her child for 13 years.

Catherine passed away in Buckinghamshire in 1942. Yet, looking at that single, beautiful pendant today, her spirit feels incredibly alive. It reminds the world that true royal legacy isn't about the gold you wear. Sometimes, it’s about the quiet, profound humanity that alters the course of history.

(Image Credits: Pinterest)