Victoria’s Hindustani writing goes on show

A diary which reveals how Queen Victoria learned to write Hindustani is going on display to the public for the first time, English Heritage said.

The rare diary dating from 1895, which shows the Urdu alphabet in Victoria’s handwriting above instructions from her Indian servant Abdul Karim, has been lent from the Royal Archives by the Queen.

It is going on display at Osborne, Victoria’s Isle of Wight home, along with two signed photographs of Karim, as the film Victoria and Abdul depicting the relationship between the monarch and her servant is released. Queen Victoria, who was proclaimed Empress of India in 1877, was fascinated by the country, although she never visited it. Abdul Karim arrived at the British court to be a servant in the Royal Household, originally waiting at Victoria’s table, but he forged a close relationship with the monarch and was promoted to her Indian Secretary and “Munshi” or teacher.

Michael Hunter, English Heritage’s curator at Osborne, said: “This diary gives an intimate glimpse into the relationship of Queen Victoria and Abdul Karim.

“It’s fascinating to see this elaborate script in her own handwriting, and the painstaking way that Abdul set out the lessons.

“Queen Victoria was incredibly curious about India and its traditions, so to learn Hindustani and write in Urdu was a hobby to which she remained faithful almost up to her death in 1901.”