Prince Frederick Duleep Singh of Lahore

Prince Frederick Victor Duleep Singh, MVO, TD, FSA (23 January 1868 – 15 August 1926), also known as Prince Freddy, was the youngest son of Sir Duleep Singh, the last Maharaja of the Sikh Empire.

Early life

Prince Frederick was born in London as the third son (the second surviving after the oldest son died on the first day after his birth) of Sir Duleep Singh and Bamba Müller, the former Maharaja and Maharani Duleep of Lahore.

He was educated at Eton and Magdalene College, Cambridge, where he read history (B.A. 1890; M.A. 1894). At Cambridge, he was a member of the Pitt Club.

He was deeply interested in archaeology, contributing articles to various periodicals and became a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. He wrote Portraits in Norfolk Houses (1929, two volumes) alongside Rev. Edmund Farrer, and with Farrer and his friend Charles Partridge compiled and published Portraits in Suffolk Houses. He was East Anglia representative of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings and reported on about 50 historic building cases for it. Such was his passion for ancient buildings, under his Deed of Gift of the Ancient House, Thetford to the Town Council in 1921, he stipulated that should anyone wish to carry out any structural alterations to the building, the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings must be consulted first.

Career He lived at Old Buckenham Hall and for 20 years, at Blo' Norton Hall near Thetford. He was a staunch monarchist, possibly due to his father's good relationship with Queen Victoria, even hanging a portrait of republican Oliver Cromwell upside-down in his lavatory at Blo' Norton. His collection of Jacobite and Stuart relics (and the Cromwell painting) were presented to Inverness Museum. He gave to the town of Thetford the timber-framed Ancient House (now a museum) together with his collection of portraits.

Military Prince Frederick served with Yeomanry regiments from 1893 to 1919.

Appointed Second Lieutenant: – Suffolk Imperial Yeomanry – 12 August 1893. Promoted Lieutenant: 21 July 1894. Promoted Captain: 19 August 1898.

In March 1900 he was appointed Assistant Adjutant to the 7th Yeomanry Brigade, and made a supernumerary officer in his own regiment. In July 1901, Prince Frederick transferred to the Norfolk Yeomanry from the Suffolk Yeomanry and was promoted to the rank of major. He resigned his commission in 1909 but rejoined the Norfolk Yeomanry in 1914 at the outbreak of World War I and was on active service in France for two years and with the General Staff.

Honours British Member of the Royal Victorian Order, 1901 Recipient of the Territorial Decoration Recipient of the 1914 Star Medal Recipient of the Victory Medal Recipient of the King Edward VII Coronation Medal Recipient of the King George V Coronation Medal

Ancestry