Catherine dies 8 November 1942
Princess Catherine Duleep Singh died on 8 November 1942 in Buckinghamshire, found by her sister Sophia, having never recovered from the loss of Lena Schäfer.
Snapshot · Empire: World History
370. The First British Indians: Saving Jews In Nazi Germany (Ep 2)
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Jun 21, 2026
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Cole Hatch House: A Final Chapter of Advocacy and Loss
At 42:04 · chapter starts 41:00
Catherine's final years in England are a study in tenacious advocacy. At Cole Hatch House — the Buckinghamshire manor she'd never seen before arriving — she recreates something of her Kassel life: ornamental garden, orchard, European furnishings. She writes constantly to MPs, arranges passage for more refugees, and campaigns for Germans interned in Britain who have been lumped indiscriminately with Nazi sympathisers — including anti-Nazi Jews who had only recently escaped Hitler. Even during the Blitz, she persuades the reluctant, furiously chain-smoking Sophia to leave London for a cottage across the road. Then, on 8 November 1942, Sophia finds her lying dead on the floor. Her death is immediate — 'clot on the heart,' the doctor says, quite painless. Sophia is stupefied. Catherine's final wish is to go back to Lena: her will requests that a quarter of her ashes be buried as near as possible to Lena Schäfer's coffin in Kassel. Bamba, the fierce custodian, makes it happen. William Dalrymple reads out the words of the will: 'I desire that a quarter of my ashes be buried as near as possible to the coffin of my friend, Fraulein Lena Schäfer.' It is the end of a fifty-year love story — and the hosts promise that next time, they will meet the most difficult sister of all: Princess Bamba. [1] — Anita Anand "Even after reaching England, Catherine never stopped — writing to MPs, arranging passage for more refugees, fighting to free Germans intern…" 41:20 [2] — Anita Anand "All she wanted was to go back to Lena. Just take my remains back to Lena." 43:00
Catherine's Final Years and Death in Buckinghamshire
Even after reaching England, Catherine never stopped — writing to MPs, arranging passage for more refugees, fighting to free Germans interned alongside Nazis in British camps. She died on 8 November 1942, found by Sophia on the floor of Cole Hatch House. Her last wish: return her ashes to Lena in Kassel.
Catherine's ashes buried near Lena in Kassel
Catherine's final wish was for a quarter of her ashes to be buried as near as possible to Lena Schäfer's coffin in Kassel, eventually fulfilled by her sister Bamba.
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