Duleep Singh Last Maharajah, First Immigrant An illustrated talk by Fraser Harrison Author of Duleep Singh’s Statue

Fraser Harrison has published a book about Duleep Singh and the equestrian statue dedicated to his memory that stands on Butten Island in Thetford. (Duleep Singh’s Statue, Signal Books.) He will talk about Duleep Singh, his statue and his contemporary significance, especially for British Sikhs. As a child, Duleep Singh was deprived of his throne and the Koh-I-Noor diamond by the East India Company in 1849. He spent most of his adult life in England, becoming the first Sikh immigrant and a favourite of Queen Victoria. For many years he lived in Elveden Hall near Thetford. Nowadays, 128 years after his death, he has become a symbol of pride for the British Sikh community.

Harrison will describe how the statue of Duleep Singh on a horse came to be raised in Thetford, Norfolk, and unveiled by the Prince of Wales in 1999. It was designed to commemorate the centenary of the Maharajah’s death, but the figure was not a likeness. It portrayed Duleep Singh as a princely hero, with the Koh-I-Noor restored to his arm, rather than the decadent and embittered man he became in life.

The Maharajah’s statue in Thetford attracts many thousands of visitors. Harrison will discuss the controversial legend of Duleep Singh and his growing importance for the Sikhs.