Last Maharajah's walking stick goes on show

Maharajah Duleep Singh with the walking stick outside his home, Elveden Hall in Suffolk

A walking stick owned by the last Maharajah of the Sikh Empire has gone on display at a museum founded by his son.

Duleep Singh surrendered his lands to the British in the 1840s and moved to Elveden Hall in Suffolk.

The walking stick was presented to him by Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII, in the late 1800s, who was a regular visitor.

Oliver Bone, curator of the Ancient House Museum in Thetford, said the piece "shows the connection between Maharajah Duleep Singh and Edward the Prince of Wales."

The stick is made from malacca wood and has a thicker, rounder handle

The stick, acquired by an anonymous donation, is a symbol of Duleep Singh’s position in British aristocratic circles.

The Maharajah's second son, Prince Frederick Duleep Singh, was the founder of the Ancient House Museum in 1921.

He lived at Blo Norton Hall and was an antiquary, keeping a large collection of books, paintings, prints and archives.

Mr Bone said the Maharajah and the future king had been friends from the 1850s and the museum was "absolutely delighted" to add the "personal piece" to its collections.

The inscription reads: 'From H.R.H the Prince of Wales to the Maharajah Dhuleep Singh.'

The stick is made from malacca wood and has an attached gold insignia of a crowned lion supporting a shield.

This symbol also appears on the coat of arms designed for Duleep Singh by Prince Albert, which is also part of the Ancient House collection.

A gold banded collar sits below the lion, with an inscription that reads: "From H.R.H the Prince of Wales to the Maharajah Dhuleep Singh.

Norfolk county councillor, Jane James, said: "This is an incredibly exciting addition to the Ancient House Museum and further enhances the story linking a small corner of Norfolk and Suffolk to the last Maharajah of the Punjab.

"I know visitors will be excited to learn about the links between the two Royal families and the Duleep Singh’s family legacy that continues to this day."

The Prince of Wales, seated at the doorway in a light cap and dark beard, with the Maharajah, fourth from right, in about 1875