Dr. Karan Singh has remained in the political limelight from his years of youth, first succeeding his father Maharaja Hari Singh as Regent in 1949, then as the Sadr-i-Riyasat of Jammu and Kashmir and then as the Governor of the State. In 1967, Dr Karan Singh was inducted as a member of the Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi. Thereafter, he was elected to the Lok Sabha from Udhampur Parliamentary constituency in Jammu Division as a nominee of Indian National Congress and he continued to retain this Constituency in the Parliamentary elections of 1971, 1977 and 1980.He also served as India's Ambassador to United States of America from 1989 to 1990. At present, he is a member of the Rajya Sabha.