Queen Victoria's Last Love Page #4

than the Queen,

and the whole iconography

of the photograph

suggests that the Queen

is basically subservient.

At every level, the photograph seems

to offend ideas about hierarchy.

This photograph produced

absolute horrified reaction,

and I think it's important

to make the point

that Abdul organises for

this photograph to be taken,

and also, I think,

sends it to the press.

In their efforts to rid themselves

of the upstart Indian,

Abdul's enemies had failed

to make his character,

his class or his race count

against him in the Queen's eyes.

As her Diamond Jubilee approached,

they hit upon

a powerful new weapon -

Abdul's religion.

In 1891, Abdul Karim set out

for the short drive from Windsor

to the sleepy village of Woking.

He was on a visit to

a controversial new building,

the first of its kind in Britain.

The Queen's Munshi, Abdul Karim,

went on Sunday to his devotions

at the Mohammedan mosque at Woking.

This custom he observes every year

and is met by Mohammedans

from all parts of England

who come to see the Munshi

and join him in prayers.

Britain's first purpose-built mosque

had opened its doors

for business in 1889.

But that didn't mean

Victorian Britain welcomed Muslims.

Across the globe,

Britain's imperial interests

were in conflict with Islam.

There were military adventures

in Egypt and the Sudan,

tensions in the Middle East

with the Ottoman sultan

and seemingly endless wars

in Afghanistan.

There'd been a certain amount of fear

of Islam for centuries.

It became much, much more explicit

in the late 19th century.

So we have people

like William Gladstone

talking about

the unspeakable and wicked Turk.

He referred to the Koran

as "that accursed book".

When congregations

actually took place,

there were indeed assaults,

physical assaults,

missiles, bricks -

people who were actually worshipping

got badly injured.

With Britain

in the grip of Islamophobia,

the presence of a Muslim within

the inner sanctum of the Empire

was potential dynamite.

Those responsible

for running the Empire

soon found cause to be worried.

The Queen thinks Mohammedans do

require more protection than Hindus.

They are decidedly

and by far the most loyal.

Abdul Karim was very influential

on Queen Victoria's view of India.

She seems to take

a decided pro-Muslim stance.

In particular,

there is a clash of festivals

and she actually

suggests to the Viceroy

that he should cancel

the Hindu festival.

And the Viceroy's reply is

to point out

this would be just as difficult to do

as cancelling Christmas in England.

Karim was not only feeding the Queen

with inflammatory advice

over religious tensions in India,

increasingly he was seen as

a security risk in his own right.

As the Queen's secretary,

Karim had access to secret documents

on vital matters of foreign policy

in Russia, Afghanistan

and the Middle East.

Government officials feared

he was feeding state secrets

to Britain's enemies

in the Islamic world.

One of his jobs

is to blot her signature

as she writes her endless letters,

but when people start saying,

"Abdul - Abdul - is allowed to read

the letters of Lord Elgin

"with important information about

the running of the great Empire,"

then this is new territory, I think.

For a personal servant to be close

to the monarchy is one thing -

for him to get involved

in politics is another.

The question was, of course,

is whether Karim in fact could read.

And nobody really ever resolved

that one.

But at the same time, of course,

Grandfather had to arrange

for a certain amount of surveillance

of a most careful nature.

In 1896, Abdul set sail for India

on his annual holiday.

But he was not alone.

"The Munshi is coming out.

"I'm not sure about the exact date

but about this time.

"But we should like to know

"if any of the intriguers

in native states and elsewhere

"make any attempt to approach him.

"Do what you can

with as little stir as possible. "

Tipped off by the Viceroy,

intelligent officers

were following Abdul's every move.

Karim's name even appeared

on a secret dossier

monitoring the political views

of every prominent Muslim in the UK.

But the Munshi was no militant.

British agents concluded

that on his holiday

Abdul was plotting nothing more

than his own enrichment.

Karim had travelled to India

to take ownership

of more than 140 acres

of prime government land in Agra,

a gift from the Queen

as a reward for his loyal service.

It was land that made Karim's family

one of the richest and most powerful

in the region.

This whole area was allotted to him.

He came with two ships loaned off,

or gifts, from England,

and very nice gifts from England.

The whole area

was known as Karim Lodge.

Now we enter his home.

This is the room...

where he used to

receive his guests.

He was a very important person.

I am told that even

the Governor-General also came here.

On his trips home, the man who had

left India as a humble waiter

now enjoyed the libertine lifestyle

of a Maharaja.

His life was very lively.

He loved music and dances, wines,

he was very fond of Indian festivals

and parties here.

He used to arrange dances

of beautiful women

and all the time

there was drinking going on.

And he loved music.

And then he used to take these

big people hunting.

But Victoria couldn't last

for long without her Abdul.

By 1897, the Queen had become

completely dependent upon him,

to the almost total exclusion

of her own staff and family.

As the Diamond Jubilee approached,

Karim took his place

at Her Majesty's side.

The household were beside themselves

over the pair's growing intimacy.

I think Queen Victoria

actually loved Abdul as a son.

We know from her letters...

They were deeply affectionate,

her letters to him, and they were

signed "your loving mother".

And so therefore Abdul was there

and he became like her son.

When Abdul became ill, Queen

Victoria insisted on visiting him.

And she would visit him

in his bedroom. This is the Queen,

going into the bedroom

of a servant twice a day.

She would sort of straighten

his pillows and stroke his hand

and make sure his fever was,

you know...

held his forehead, et cetera.

And this was breaking

all sorts of taboos.

But Abdul's life of luxury had left

him increasingly plagued by illness.

In 1897, at the start of Victoria's

Diamond Jubilee year,

the Queen's doctor, Sir James Reid,

seized his opportunity to strike.

Dr Reid, who was charged

with looking after Abdul,

told the household that Abdul

had what he called gleet,

which was his name for,

I think, gonorrhoea.

It's extraordinary

when you think about it, really,

that Dr Reid should have breached

his doctor's confidentiality

and broadcast this fact, but he did.

And when the household are told,

this is totally unacceptable,

this is really the last straw.

For the members

of the Royal household,

consorting with an Indian

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