Victoria & Abdul tells the story of Abdul Karim, a young Muslim attendant who travels to England from Uttar Pradesh and finds himself at the heart of the royal court. Over the course of more than a decade, Karim became Victoria’s “munshi” – a word of Persian origin meaning “teacher” – and a valued aide she showered with honours. Abdul even taught the Queen to write in his native Urdu, seemingly in a bid to connect the monarch with “the jewel in the crown”.

But, as the film explores, Victoria and Abdul’s friendship was a controversial one that provoked jealousy among her family and the royal household, with some criticising Victoria’s affectionate relationship with her Indian servant as “munshi mania”. When the Queen died in 1901, Abdul and the role he played in the monarch’s life were scrubbed from the record books.

It was only in the mid-2000s, when historian and author Shrabani Basu stumbled upon Abdul Karim while researching a book on the history of curry, that the munshi’s story was finally told. Basu’s book, also called Victoria & Abdul, and director Stephen Frears’ fantastic movie adaptation have shone a light on a fascinating figure almost forgotten by history.

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