Princess Sophia Duleep Singh, the daughter of the last ruler of the Sikh empire Maharaja Duleep Singh, is among several British women who were celebrated today in the UK to mark the centenary of women's right to vote.
The granddaughter of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and god-daughter of Queen Victoria had taken to the streets in the early 1900s to campaign for the right of women to be able to vote.
On the day of the King's Speech to Parliament in 1911, she threw herself in front of the car of the then prime minister Herbert Asquith with a poster that read "Give women the vote".
Her heroism is being marked alongside other "suffragettes", or members of women's organisations during that period, who advocated the extension of the franchise to women.
Their efforts led women who were householders over the age of 30 to get the vote by an act of UK Parliament, the Representation of the People Act, in 1918, which was extended to women over 21 in 1928.
"Those who fought to establish their right, my right, every woman's right, to vote in elections, to stand for office and to take their full and rightful place in public life did so in the face of fierce opposition.
"They persevered in spite of all danger and discouragement because they knew their cause was right," Prime minister Theresa May said in a speech to mark the centenary in Manchester, a centre of activism for the women's suffrage movement.
She warned that "intimidation and aggression" on social media were coarsening public debate, deterring people from participating in politics and threatening democracy.
May announced a new annual internet safety transparency report to provide data on what offensive content is being reported and how social media companies are responding to complaints.
She also announced plans for a Law Commission review of legislation to ensure that illegal actions are also illegal online.
The celebrations to mark 100 years of women's right to vote include the Royal Mail issuing a set of commemorative stamps of suffragettes like Princess Sophia Duleep Singh.
Born in 1876, the princess grew up at Elveden Hall in Suffolk, where her father lived in exile.
In 1894, she moved to Hampton Court Palace at the invitation of the Queen and became known as a socialite in royal circles.
However, after a trip to India, she returned to London transformed and joined other suffragettes like Emmeline Pankhurst and Millicent Fawcett in their fight for the right to vote.
There are growing calls for the suffragette women, many of whom were jailed for their efforts, to be pardoned posthumously.
UK home secretary Amber Rudd said it was a "complicated" issue but that she would "take a look" at such a posthumous pardon.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has called on the government to apologise to suffragettes and have their criminal records overturned.
6.9K views · 135 reactions | I’m genuinely shocked and saddened by reports that Will Jackson, Conservative candidate for North Harrow in the elections next month, has told British-born Asian MPs like Rishi Sunak and Shabana Mahmood that they are “not British” and should “go back to Pakistan,” He also suggested figures like Anthony Joshua and Dua Lipa aren’t British.I have raised this important matter in Parliament today, because there is no place for racism in our politics.I’m proud of Harrow’s diverse, close-knit communities. Every candidate should seek to unite people, not divide them.This matter must be taken seriously. I welcome the Conservative Party’s statement that Mr Jackson’s comments are wholly unacceptable and their decision to suspend him.But serious questions remain about how he was selected as a candidate in the first place, and why he was considered fit to represent our community.https://bylinetimes.com/2026/04/13/conservative-candidate-tells-british-mps-to-go-back-to-pakistan/🎥 👇 | Gareth Thomas MP 
