LONDON: A woman of Indian-origin dubbed "the spy princess" on Friday gets a new memorial in Britain honouring her espionage work and refusal to betray secrets in World War II. English Heritage is putting up a Blue Plaque honouring Noor Inayat Khan outside 4 Taviton Street in the Bloomsbury area of central London where she lived from 1942-43.
In 2012, Queen Elizabeth II's daughter Princess Anne unveiled a bronze bust of Khan in nearby Gordon Square Gardens. Her biographer, Shrabani Basu, said Khan, born into a princely Indian Sufi family and descended from Tipu Sultan, the 18th century ruler of Mysore, was an "unlikely spy".
She believed in non-violence and religious harmony but gave her life in the fight against fascism when her adopted country needed her, she said.
"It is fitting that Noor Inayat Khan is the first woman of Indian origin to be remembered with a Blue Plaque," said Basu, who wrote "Spy Princess: The Life of Noor Inayat Khan".
"As people walk by, Noor's story will continue to inspire future generations. In today's world, her vision of unity and freedom is more important than ever."
Noor Khan was the first female wireless operator sent to Nazi-occupied France but was captured, tortured and shot dead aged 30 at the Dachau concentration camp in September 1944.
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