On the 8th November Princess Anne unveiled the bust of WWII heroine Noor Inayat Khan, a descendant of Tipu Sultan, who had served as a secret agent in the Second World War.

Over four hundred distinguished guests including M.Ps, peers, Ambassadors and High Commissioners, war veterans, former SOE agents and the RAF pilots who flew the agents on their mission, packed Gordon Square Gardens in London today to pay their respects to Noor, who was killed in Dachau Concentration Camp in 1944 at the age of  30.

"Today in the presence of Your Royal Highness, we have packed this square to remember a heroine of the war, a young woman of Indian origin, who unhesitatingly gave her life for Britain in the fight against Fascism," said Shrabani Basu, Chair of the Noor Inayat Khan Memorial Trust and author of the book Spy Princess, The Life of Noor Inayat Khan, who has led the campaign.

"Noor was proud of her Indian heritage but she felt British and French at the same time. She wanted to be a citizen of the world and build bridges between nations.

"As we observe Remembrance Week, the world will watch again as we remember the bravery of all those who fell like Noor and those like her who have no grave. We will not let their memories fade in the mist of time."  

Noor Inayat Khan was the first woman radio operator to be dropped behind enemy lines in Europe. She did crucial work for the Allies but was betrayed, captured and killed. Despite brutal interrogation and torture she did not reveal any of the names of her colleagues and remained defiant till the end. Her last word was "Liberte!".

"Stories like Spy Princess remind us of stories that have an important connection in the modern era. They are a reminder of the multicultural and international aspect of Noor's life and sacrifice. I hope this bust will remind us to ask questions of who; why; and what we can achieve in her memory," said Princess Anne at the ceremony in Gordon Square on Thursday.

Noor was posthumously awarded the George Cross and the Croix de Guerre.

The bronze bust is sculpted by London artist Karen Newman. It stands on the North-east corner of the square, close to house that Noor lived in and from where she left on her last mission.