Duleep Singh

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"I have petitioned the government several times, but they withhold their permission. Do not be fooled by appearances, Miss Frye. I am in many ways a prisoner."

―Duleep Singh on being trapped in Britain, 1868.

Duleep Singh
Biographical information
Born	6 September 1838 Lahore, Sikh Empire
Died	22 October 1893 (aged 55) Paris, France
Species	Human
Database entries	Duleep Singh
Political information
Affiliations	Sikh Empire Assassins British Brotherhood

Duleep Singh (1838 – 1893), also known as Dalip Singh or the Black Prince of Perthshire, was the last Maharaja of the Sikh Empire as Ranjit Singh's youngest son, ruling from 1843 to 1849. He was also an associate of, and great-uncle to, the Assassin Henry Green.

Exiled to Britain at the age of fifteen, Duleep befriended Queen Victoria, who would go on to become the godmother to several of his children. After his mother's death in 1863, he began lobbying for India's independence from the British Empire but was ultimately unsuccessful.

Biography

Exile to Britain

Evie: "Do you miss India?"

Duleep: "I remember... that my mother smelled of cinnamon. And when she cradled me in her arms in the summer heat, I would hold so still that she fell asleep. When I lost my kingdom, it hurt, but truly, when they took my mother away..."

—Duleep explaining his attachment to his home country, 1868.

Born in 1838, Duleep was the youngest son of Ranjit Singh and became the last Maharaja of the Sikh Empire at the age of five, after four of his predecessors were assassinated. His mother, Maharani Jind Kaur, ruled in his stead as Regent for a time, but she was imprisoned following the First Anglo-Sikh War.

In 1848, Duleep befriended Brinley Ellsworth, the son of a British Indies Company (B.I.C.) official, who had been secretly tasked by his father to keep watch over the young Maharaja. The two spent a lot of time together as Ellsworth showed Duleep the rules of the compound where he lived, but were separted when Duleep was later exiled to England.

In April of 1849, Duleep was introduced to his new guardian, Dr. John Login, who traveled with the boy to Britain following his exile roughly five years later. Arriving in London, Duleep was introduced to Queen Victoria, who took an immediate liking to the boy and later became godmother to several of his children.

In 1856, Duleep attempted to contact his mother, sending letters and emissaries, all of which were intercepted by the British in India. However, he persisted and, aided by Login, eventually received permission to see her in January of 1861, ending their separation, which had lasted over thirteen years. No longer seen as a threat to British interests in India, the Maharani was permitted to return to the United Kingdom with her son. After two years of teaching Duleep about his Sikh heritage, Jind Kaur passed away in 1863.

Aiding the Assassins

Politician: "The Queen has supplied you with an annual income for God knows how long, and now you bite the hand that feeds you?"

Duleep: "It is not a matter of money. I cannot stand idle and watch my homeland subjected to the yoke of an outsider's rule. My people are treated as slaves. I will die poor a thousand times over if only to see them free."

—Duleep arguing with a British politician, 1868.

In 1868, Duleep was asked by his great-nephew, Henry Green, to procure architectural plans of Buckingham Palace. However, he was foiled in this endeavor, as the schematics had already been taken by men in the employ of Crawford Starrick. Duleep subsequently told Henry, and his acquaintance Evie Frye, where the plans had been taken, so they could get them back.

Duleep requesting Evie's help in exchange for information

Ultimately, Henry and Evie did not succeed in acquiring the schematics, leading the latter to contact Duleep again later on. Passionate as he was about returning to his home country, the Maharaja bartered with Evie; in exchange for her help in recruiting politicians to his cause, Duleep would tell her where she could find copies of the plans she sought.

In between escorting politicians to their destinations, Duleep spoke with Evie on a variety of topics, including his attempts at returning to India, her parents and her relationship with Henry. After bringing William Gladstone, who had been quite abrasive during his conversation with the Maharaja, to the Sinopean Club, Duleep told Evie that the plans she sought were located in the White Drawing Room of Buckingham Palace. The two then bid each other goodbye.

The Last Maharaja

"The Assassin way is not my way, as helpful as you have been. This Empire, this land, my people... The problem is so much bigger than death. I know I must devote my life to this cause, to put India, my home, back onto the map, return it to its people. It's a long and gruelling journey, but it is something I must do. Even if it takes me to my own death."

―Duleep to Jacob and Evie Frye, 1868.

Sometime later, while at Buckingham Palace, Duleep again met with Henry, who asked him to ramp up his efforts to secure India's independence and reclaim his birthright as Maharaja since all attempts to bargain with the British Parliament had failed. However, Duleep was unwilling to jeopardize his relationship with Britain and the Queen, prompting Henry to mention that Duleep's mother would have been disappointed by his inaction, much to his anger.

Duleep talking to the Frye twins

After Henry left, Duleep was approached by Evie and her twin brother Jacob, who apologized on Henry's behalf. The Maharaja then asked the siblings to amuse him by joining him in a shooting competition, during which Duleep was reunited with his childhood friend Brinley Ellsworth, who had recently arrived in London. As the two caught up with each other, a sudden shot was fired by an unseen assailant, nearly hitting Duleep. Evie and Jacob managed to locate and eliminate the would-be assassin and learned that the Templars and the British Indies Company were working together to try and eliminate the Maharaja.

Later, Duleep visited Henry at his curiosity shop, where his great-nephew again chastised him for his lack of commitment to the people of India. However, at that moment, Evie and Jacob arrived with a number of letters written by Duleep to his mother, which the B.I.C. had intercepted over the years. Realizing the Company's duplicitous nature, the Maharaja decided to fight against them with the Assassins' help.

His first course of action was to recover stolen Punjabi gold and, in order to learn its location, he enlisted Evie's help to find a B.I.C. accountant. After looking for him in a pub, the pair learned that the Templars had taken the accountant to the Bank of England and proceeded to rescue him. As the accountant had been injured by the Templars, Evie carried him out of the bank before Duleep took him to the hospital.

Duleep and Evie chased by the Blighters

After learning the gold's location, Duleep, Evie and Jacob infiltrated the warehouse where it was being held and retrieved it, before boarding a carriage and escaping from the Templars pursuing them. Following this, Duleep decided to send the gold back to his homeland via ship, and Evie and Jacob protected the ship and its cargo as they came under attack from the Templars. When a sniper nearly killed one of the Frye twins, the Maharaja saved them and shot the sniper with his musket.

Later, Henry came up with a plan to further sabotage the B.I.C. and asked Duleep and the twins to meet him at the Southwark train station. However, just prior to their arrival, the Assassins' train hideout came under attack by the Templars, forcing the group to defend it. During the fight, the Templars managed to steal the train, but Evie and Jacob eventually reclaimed control of it.

Subsequently, Duleep devised a plan to steal the Koh-i-Noor diamond and informed the twins of Cornelius Toti-Button, a friend of the Royal Jeweller, who might know its location. After Jacob met with Cornelius and learned that the Koh-i-Noor was kept at the Tower of London, the Assassin and Duleep attended a gala held there to retrieve it. While the Maharaja spoke with the guests, the Templars secretly stole the diamond and planted it on his person, intending to frame him for theft. Fortunately, Jacob was able to discreetly pickpocket the Koh-i-Noor from Duleep and deliver it to Evie. When Jacob reported back, Singh began to make his exit, only to be accosted by the guards, who quickly searched him for the diamond but found nothing. Singh then approached the Queen's carriage to tell her about the incident. As soon as she drove off, Jacob explained to Singh about the attempted frame-up.

Returning to Henry's shop, the Assassin examined the Koh-i-Noor and shattered it with a hammer, revealing that the diamond the Frye twins had stolen was a replica. He then explained that the real Koh-i-Noor had never left India, his father Arbaaz having made sure of it, and reconciled with Duleep as the two decided to work together to secure India's future.

Later, after Evie and Jacob learned that Brinley Ellsworth was a Templar and the one responsible for all the recent attacks against Duleep, the Maharaja arranged a meeting with him in the Lambeth Cemetery to settle matters between them. During the meeting, Ellsworth attempted to kill his former friend by positioning several Blighters around the cemetery and pulling a pistol on him, but Evie protected the Maharaja and subdued Ellsworth. Believing that killing the Templar would make them no better than the B.I.C., Duleep asked Evie to spare Ellsworth and allowed him to leave, though not before Ellsworth gloated that Duleep would never see his people again and would die as he had lived: as a "trophy of war".

Shortly after, the Maharaja met with Evie and Jacob aboard their train hideout. Despite being grateful for the Assassins' help, Duleep concluded that their way of solving problems was not for him and that the matter of India's independence was larger than any one person. Thus, he resolved to dedicate the rest of his life to reclaiming his birthright and parted ways with the twins.

Behind the scenes

Duleep Singh is a historical figure and character introduced in the 2015 video game Assassin's Creed: Syndicate. He was portrayed by Avin Shah, who reprised his role in the 2016 downloadable expansion, The Last Maharaja.

Gallery

Promotional art of Duleep Singh and Jacob Frye

Henry requesting Duleep's help

Duleep thanking Evie for her assistance

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Syndicate (first appearance)
  • The Last Maharaja
• Assassin's Creed: Underworld
• Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India (mentioned only)