The Controversial Relation of Victoria and Abdul

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The Controversial Relation of Victoria and Abdul

Sitting on the throne comes with a load of duties and loneliness. Especially when the supposed matriarch in question is Queen Victoria. As the Empress of India, the Queen garnered a fair share of attention from historians and scholars who wanted a sneak peek into the inner realms of her life. Let us investigate yet another chapter from her life.

Queen Victoria; Image Source- Tellyvisions

The year 1861 turned out to be the blackest time of Queen Victoria's life. After losing her husband and friend, Prince Albert, she became a shell of a person, mourning indefinitely. She, however, had the support and care of her trusted confidante, John Brown. While Brown helped the Queen overcome the grief of Albert's death, he left a gaping hole in her life when he died a few years later.

The ageing monarch had nothing but her royal duties. The upcoming celebration of the Golden Jubilee was held to commemorate 50 years of her on the throne. The Queen showed a keen interest in interacting with Indian princes. For this, she commissioned the process of recruiting two Indian attendants to help facilitate the communication with an Indian audience.

And that's how a young Abdul Karim found himself in England, serving the Queen. Born in Jhansi, Karim grew up to learn Persian and Urdu under a Maulvi hired by his father. Education opened the door of securing a job as a clerk at the Agra jail. The then jail superintendent, John Tyler, hired Abdul for being the Queen's servant.

Even though Abdul was dutiful and loyal, he lacked the refinement of his partner, Mohamed Buxshe. He, therefore, received training in palace etiquette while juggling to grasp English.

The Golden Jubilee went well without any hiccups. But what changed was the dynamics of the life of Abdul and Victoria.

The Queen proceeded to her summer home after the celebration to relax. This is where Abdul surprised her with his special chicken curry along with dal and pilau. Food did the trick! Victoria loved the dish so much that she ordered it to be added to the royal menu.

After this exquisite taste of India, Victoria wanted to dive further into learning our culture. She entrusted Abdul to teach her Hindustani, making him her Munshi (teacher). In a hurry to master the language, the Queen doubled her classes.

This was followed by the Queen bestowing the title of Munshi Hafiz Abdul Karim, elevating his position in the royal court. Their budding relationship instantly set off alarms amidst the Ministers. The gossip of a possible romance between the duo spread like wildfire.

A deeper introspection will reveal the problem here, that is, race. Apart from the blatant favours the Queen bestowed upon Abdul, it was his Indian descent that did not sit well with the Ministers and other Britons, in general.

The Queen was aware of this prejudice. This prompted her to safeguard the interests of her close friend by rewarding him with titles and security. This, however, only managed to worsen the situation.

The final nail to the coffin was Queen Victoria's act of enlisting Abdul to the list of principal mourners at her funeral. This intimate title was only granted to the matriarch's close family and friends.

The Queen's death came sooner than later. But her wishes were never looked after. Her son, Edward VII, ordered to destroy all proof, including letters exchanged between Victoria and Abdul. Not only this but Abdul and his family were unceremoniously deported back to India without a penny.

You all might be wondering if there were no records left of Abdul's time in London, then how did this story surface in contemporary times? During her tour to the summer house of Queen Victoria, Shrabani Basu came across a portrait of Abdul. It intrigued her to find an Indian person adorning the walls of the Queen's house. Her research later manifested into the book Victoria & Abdul: The True Story of the Queen's Closest Confidant.

And that was the beginning of unveiling Victoria and Abdul's controversial friendship, which was erased by its witnesses. Whether their relationship was platonic or not is something left to the imagination of its readers.