A royal saga of love
The curtain of the mystic love story between Queen Victoria and Abdul Karim was uplifted recently by Sharbani Basu, an author, historian and a journalist in her book 'Victoria and Abdul: The True Story of Queen's Closet Confidant'.
SHE WAS a queen and he was an ordinary secretary. No, here we are not discussing any Bollywood film plot but telling a real story of love, affection, passion and a story which was kept under the scanner. This is a love tale of Queen Victoria and Abdul Karim, a waiter who later on served her highness as a Munshi. The curtain of the mystic love story uplift when recently Sharbani Basu, an author, historian and a journalist launched her book ‘Victoria and Abdul: The True Story of Queen’s Closet Confidant’. The book opened some unread chapters of Queen’s life and throws light upon a never heard love story of Queen Victoria and Abdul.
A tale from Agra to England
Sharbani first noticed Abdul when she was making a research for her first novel Curry, at Darbar Hall of the Osborne House. Sharbani came across the portrait of Abdul. From there she started making queries regarding the portrait and informed with some journals that Abdul Karim was a hidden character in Queen Victoria’s so-called love story. Karim belonged to Agra and he worked as a clerk at Agra Central Jail. Abdul was amongst them who went to England to mark the silver jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887. After reaching England, Abdul worked as a dining room waiter but soon he developed a close relationship with Queen. As time passed, Karim was promoted as a Munshi to her. From here Victoria and Karim started getting cozy with each other.
Queen’s close relationship with Karim created a havoc kind of situation inside the Windsor Castle and in India. Victoria allotted him a widow’s cottage at Glassalt Shiel where she used to live after the death of John Brown. Apart from having a cottage in Windsor, Karim had his own carriage and a yatch for his personal use. With the passage of time, different types of news started spreading into the English society. Once Queen wanted to take him on her particular trip but people at Royal House got furious over the decision. They soon appointed a representative to convey the message of their resignation to the Queen. People at Royal House announced for their resignation in one voice and Queen had to drop the idea. Victoria also wanted to make Karim a knight but took her order back as Lord Salisbury started giving pressure upon her. Then she promoted him as the member of Order Commander of the Indian Empire.
A mysterious love story
Abdul Karim was the main reason behind Queen’s Urdu knowledge and her excellence in few Indian languages. As the language barrier started dissolving, the distance between Victoria and Abdul was also ended. But destiny had something else in its box for Karim. The love dale between Karim and Queen started heating up and this was going against the Queen. However, in a particular part of Sharbani’s book this has been said that Queen always shared a mother kind of relationship with Karim. When Karim was appointed as a Munshi, Victoria’s dependency upon him increased. Karim’s position and closeness with Victoria was also the cause of much jealousy. There was a scandal when Queen lost her brooch after visiting Abdul’s house in Windsor. He became too close to the queen that he even could easily walk to her between a play from his seat.
Abdul’s life after Queen
Queen found an emotional support in the form of Karim, as she had nobody with her after the death of her husband. When Queen died people at Royal House got a chance to mark the exclusion of Abdul Karim from this chapter. Karim and his family were sent back to India. The letters, which were written by Queen to Abdul Karim, were set ablaze by King Edward VII. The journey of Abdul Karim from a common man to a Commander of the Indian Empire also came to an end.
Sharbani first noticed Abdul when she was making a research for her first novel Curry, at Darbar Hall of the Osborne House. Sharbani came across the portrait of Abdul. From there she started making queries regarding the portrait and informed with some journals that Abdul Karim was a hidden character in Queen Victoria’s so-called love story. Karim belonged to Agra and he worked as a clerk at Agra Central Jail. Abdul was amongst them who went to England to mark the silver jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887. After reaching England, Abdul worked as a dining room waiter but soon he developed a close relationship with Queen. As time passed, Karim was promoted as a Munshi to her. From here Victoria and Karim started getting cozy with each other.
Queen’s decisions
Queen’s close relationship with Karim created a havoc kind of situation inside the Windsor Castle and in India. Victoria allotted him a widow’s cottage at Glassalt Shiel where she used to live after the death of John Brown. Apart from having a cottage in Windsor, Karim had his own carriage and a yatch for his personal use. With the passage of time, different types of news started spreading into the English society. Once Queen wanted to take him on her particular trip but people at Royal House got furious over the decision. They soon appointed a representative to convey the message of their resignation to the Queen. People at Royal House announced for their resignation in one voice and Queen had to drop the idea. Victoria also wanted to make Karim a knight but took her order back as Lord Salisbury started giving pressure upon her. Then she promoted him as the member of Order Commander of the Indian Empire.
A mysterious love story
Abdul Karim was the main reason behind Queen’s Urdu knowledge and her excellence in few Indian languages. As the language barrier started dissolving, the distance between Victoria and Abdul was also ended. But destiny had something else in its box for Karim. The love dale between Karim and Queen started heating up and this was going against the Queen. However, in a particular part of Sharbani’s book this has been said that Queen always shared a mother kind of relationship with Karim. When Karim was appointed as a Munshi, Victoria’s dependency upon him increased. Karim’s position and closeness with Victoria was also the cause of much jealousy. There was a scandal when Queen lost her brooch after visiting Abdul’s house in Windsor. He became too close to the queen that he even could easily walk to her between a play from his seat.
Abdul’s life after Queen
Queen found an emotional support in the form of Karim, as she had nobody with her after the death of her husband. When Queen died people at Royal House got a chance to mark the exclusion of Abdul Karim from this chapter. Karim and his family were sent back to India. The letters, which were written by Queen to Abdul Karim, were set ablaze by King Edward VII. The journey of Abdul Karim from a common man to a Commander of the Indian Empire also came to an end.
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