The Complex and Controversial Relationship Between Queen Victoria and Abdul Karim
The friendship between Queen Victoria and Abdul Karim stands as one of the most intriguing relationships in the latter years of the British Empire. Born into a Muslim family in 1863 in Lalitpur, near Jhansi, Karim was an educated man, taught in Persian and Urdu, who eventually secured a clerical role at a jail in Agra. It was from this position that his life took a dramatic turn, one that would see him transported to the heart of the British monarchy.
In 1887, as Queen Victoria approached her Golden Jubilee, she expressed a desire for Indian servants to attend to her at a banquet celebrating her 50th year on the throne. This decision marked a significant moment, coinciding with her growing interest in India, the crown jewel of the British Empire. Karim was selected, alongside another servant, to serve the Queen. Little did anyone anticipate the profound bond that would soon develop between the monarch and her young attendant.
From Servant to Confidant
Karim and his fellow servant travelled from India to Britain in June 1887, making their debut at Windsor Castle, where they served the Queen during breakfast. Victoria's initial impressions of Karim were documented in her diary: “The other, much younger, is much lighter [than Buksh], tall, and with a fine serious countenance. His father is a native doctor at Agra. They both kissed my feet.” This was the beginning of a unique connection that would soon flourish into an extraordinary friendship.
The Queen's fascination with Indian culture and language deepened as she began learning Urdu under Karim's tutelage. Just two months after meeting, Karim had become more than just a servant; he was her teacher and, soon after, her Munshi, or personal clerk. In August 1888, Victoria promoted him, stating, “I particularly wish to retain his services as he helps me in studying Hindustani, which interests me very much, & he is very intelligent & useful.”
Their discussions, according to Karim’s biographer Sushila Anand, were “wide-ranging—philosophical, political, and practical.” Victoria, it seemed, had found not only an intellectual companion but also a confidant who, unlike those within her court, offered her insights into a world far removed from her own.
A Relationship Fuelled by Scandal
Karim’s sudden rise to favour was not well-received by those within the royal household. He was a Muslim, and his lowly status as a servant only amplified the disdain and resentment directed towards him. Karim’s presence at court challenged the racial and class prejudices of Victorian England, and many saw him as an unworthy figure occupying a privileged position.
He was given rooms previously occupied by John Brown, the Queen’s former favourite, and enjoyed a closeness to Victoria that many in her family and court found deeply troubling.
Jealousy and discontent was growing among the members of the Royal Household, who would normally never mingle socially with Indians below the rank of prince. The Queen expected them to welcome Karim, an Indian of ordinary origin, into their midst, but they were not willing to do so.
Karim, for his part, expected to be treated as an equal. When Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (later Edward VII), hosted an entertainment for the Queen at his home in Sandringham on 26 April 1889, Karim found he had been allocated a seat with the servants. Feeling insulted, he retired to his room.
The Queen took his side, stating that he should have been seated among the Household. When the Queen attended the Braemar Games in 1890, her son Prince Arthur, approached the Queen's private secretary, Sir Henry Ponsonby, in outrage after he saw the Munshi among the gentry. Ponsonby suggested that as it was "by the Queen's order", the Duke should approach the Queen about it. "This entirely shut him up", noted Ponsonby.
Victoria biographer Carolly Erickson described the situation:
The rapid advancement and personal arrogance of the Munshi would inevitably have led to his unpopularity, but the fact of his race made all emotions run hotter against him. Racialism was a scourge of the age; it went hand in hand with belief in the appropriateness of Britain's global dominion. For a dark-skinned Indian to be put very nearly on a level with the queen's white servants was all but intolerable, for him to eat at the same table as them, to share in their daily lives was viewed as an outrage. Yet the queen was determined to impose harmony on her household. Race hatred was intolerable to her, and the "dear good Munshi" deserving of nothing but respect.
Despite this opposition, Victoria remained resolute in her affection for Karim. She provided for his family, hosted them in England, and even gifted him land in India. The Queen’s fondness for her Munshi was apparent in her writings, where she described him as “an excellent, clever, truly pious & very refined gentleman.” He had become indispensable to her, a trusted confidant who accompanied her on trips and attended to her personal needs.
The Queen’s children, particularly the future Edward VII, viewed Karim with suspicion. Rumours abounded, with some speculating that Victoria had lost her judgment in her old age. However, their objections did little to diminish her attachment to the Munshi, whom she defended vehemently.
The Final Days and Aftermath
The Queen’s death in 1901 marked the end of Karim’s time at court. In her final wishes, Victoria ensured that Karim was one of the principal mourners at her funeral, a position usually reserved for family and close friends. Yet, despite this honour, the royal family wasted no time in erasing Karim from their lives. Shortly after her passing, guards raided his residence, seizing and burning all letters and personal correspondence between him and the Queen.
Edward VII swiftly banished Karim from England, forcing him to return to India without fanfare. Though he lived quietly on the estate provided to him by Victoria, his connection to the Queen was effectively erased from public memory for decades. It was not until the mid-20th century, when Frederick Ponsonby’s memoirs were published, that the details of this unusual friendship began to emerge once again. Scholarly interest in Karim’s life would later uncover the racial and class-based tensions that had fuelled his vilification.
A Legacy of Prejudice and Friendship
The relationship between Queen Victoria and Abdul Karim offers a window into the complexities of race, class, and power in the British Empire. While Victoria saw in Karim a loyal and intelligent companion, others viewed him as an outsider, unworthy of his position. Historian Elizabeth Longford argued that “Abdul Karim stirred once more that same royal imagination which had magnified the virtues of John Brown… [but] insinuated into her confidence an inferior person.”
At its heart, this relationship was a defiance of the rigid structures of Victorian society. Victoria’s willingness to elevate a young Indian servant to such a high status reflected her deep emotional needs and curiosity about a world beyond the confines of the British aristocracy. However, it also highlighted the inherent contradictions of an empire that ruled over vast numbers of non-European subjects while maintaining deeply entrenched hierarchies of race and class at home.
Karim's story, rediscovered through the diligent work of historians and biographers, including Shrabani Basu’s book Victoria & Abdul, challenges the traditional narratives of the British monarchy and its imperial legacy. It reveals a personal and complex aspect of a queen who, despite her title as Empress of India, had little direct connection with the people over whom she ruled—until Abdul Karim entered her life.
Sources:
Anand, Sushila. Indian Sahib: Queen Victoria's Dear Abdul. London: Duckworth, 1996.
Basu, Shrabani. Victoria & Abdul: The True Story of the Queen's Closest Confidant. Stroud: The History Press, 2010.
Longford, Elizabeth. Victoria: Born to Succeed. London: Sphere Books, 1987.
Ponsonby, Frederick. Recollections of Three Reigns. London: Collins, 1951.
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