Harry, Meghan’s new home has Indian link

LONDON: Frogmore Cottage on Queen Elizabeth II’s estate in Windsor, recently announced as the new home of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, has a curious Raj era connect with India. The cottage had been a royal gift to Abdul Karim by Queen Victoria, then Empress of India, in recognition of his service and as a sign of her affection towards her Indian aide and confidant.

Karim, whom the monarch referred to as her Munshi (attendant), was just 24 when he arrived in England from Agra to present Victoria with a special mohar, or gold coin, to mark her Golden Jubilee in 1887. He quickly grew close to the ageing monarch, who bestowed many gifts on him including Frogmore Cottage for his own use.

“Queen Victoria gave it to Abdul Karim as a special gift. She would often visit the cottage and have tea with his wife and him. He had decorated the house with many exotic things, including presents given to him by European royalty,” said Shrabani Basu, the author of Victoria and Abdul: The Extraordinary True Story of the Queen’s Closest Confidant.

“There is also a sad angle to the story. Hours after Queen Victoria’s funeral, the new king, Edward VII, ordered all the letters by mother

Queen Victoria gave it to Abdul Karim as a special gift. She would often visit the cottage and have tea with his wife and him. He had decorated the house with many exotic things, including presents given to him by European royalty.

— SHRABANI BASU, author

to Karim be seized from his house. They were burnt in a bonfire outside Frogmore Cottage and Abdul was ordered to return to the home,” said Basu, whose book formed the basis of the Oscar-nominated Victoria and Abdul last year, starring UK actor Dame Judi Dench as Victoria and Indian actor Ali Fazal as Abdul.

Basu had stumbled upon the rare friendship during her research and followed it up with a visit to Windsor Castle and asked to look at Queen Victoria’s Hindustani journals, a collection of notebooks filled with the monarch’s handwriting practising Urdu with Munshi Karim.