Noor Inayat Khan was an Indian Princess.

Although a pacifist by nature, Princess Khan was appalled by the rise of the Nazi’s in Europe. Her fluent French made her an excellent candidate for undercover work and she joined the British Special Operations Executive during the war and became a spy.

Agent Noor (code named Nora Baker) was secretly flown into France to join the French Resistance, gather information, and radio it back to Britain. Her comrades were captured one by one but she evaded capture, finally becoming the Nazis’ single most wanted spy in France.

The SOE offered her the chance of flying back to Britain, but Princess Khan refused to leave her post. She was finally captured by the Nazis having been betrayed by a comrade. Interrogated by the Gestapo for months she did not reveal a single secret.

She was regarded by the Gestapo as extremely dangerous and escaped, but was recaptured. She was shot on September 13, 1944, at Dachau Concentration Camp.

A witness said her final word was “Liberte”. She was awarded the George Cross in 1949 – the highest civilian decoration in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth nations.

In 2012 HRH the Princess Royal unveiled a bronze bust of Noor Inayat Khan in commemoration of her bravery. And Noor Inayat Khan has been commemorated on a new stamp.