Catherine Hilda Duleep Singh

Princess Catherine Hilda Duleep Singh was a British Indian suffragist, humanitarian, and member of the exiled Sikh royal family whose lifelong partnership with the German woman Lina Schäfer has made her an important figure in LGBTQ+ history. She is also remembered for helping Jewish refugees escape Nazi persecution during the 1930s.

Born on 27 October 1871, Catherine was educated at Somerville College, Oxford, one of the first colleges in Britain to admit women. Although raised within the Church of England, she retained a strong connection to her Sikh heritage and occupied a unique position as a descendant of the Sikh royal house of Punjab. Her life reflected the complex intersections of migration, religion and identity that shaped many South Asians living in Britain during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Catherine supported the constitutional campaign for women's suffrage through the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies, advocating for women's political rights through peaceful means. Unlike some of her contemporaries, she pursued reform through education, philanthropy, and political engagement rather than militant activism.

The defining relationship of Catherine's adult life was with Lina Schäfer, with whom she established a household in Germany in 1904. The two women lived together for more than three decades, sharing homes in the Black Forest, Kassel, and Dresden, managing their finances jointly, and building a deeply committed domestic life. Historians have interpreted their relationship as a loving and enduring same-sex partnership. Catherine's wish that part of her ashes be buried beside Schäfer's after her death further reflects the significance of their lifelong bond.

Following the rise of the Nazi regime, Catherine used her British citizenship, financial resources, and social connections to sponsor Jewish refugees seeking safety in Britain. After leaving Germany in 1937, she continued this work by providing financial guarantees, arranging visas, and opening her home to refugees, several of whom remained there throughout the Second World War. Her humanitarian efforts have increasingly been recognized as an important contribution to rescuing people from Nazi persecution.

Catherine died on 8 November 1942. Although she received relatively little public recognition during her lifetime, historians and heritage organizations have increasingly recognized her contributions to women's rights, humanitarian relief, and LGBTQ+ history. As a woman who retained a strong connection to her Sikh heritage, shared her life with another woman, and dedicated herself to public service, Catherine Duleep Singh's life illuminates the intersections of religion, sexuality and social justice in the modern world.

(This biographical statement written by Rachael Stockdale.)

Biography Date: July 2026

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