Inside Story with Lucinda

Victoria & Abdul is the story of the controversial relationship between Queen Victoria and a young Indian servant called Abdul Karim who arrived in court as a special present for her Golden Jubilee. Soon he became the Queen’s favourite, was promoted to being her Munshi or teacher, taught the Queen Urdu and introduced her to curries. Based on previously unseen journals and letters, Shrabani Basu uncovered this hidden story that rocked the establishment. Her book has since been made into an Oscar-nominated film starring Dame Judi Dench. 

Shrabani Basu is a journalist and Sunday Times best-selling author. Her books include the critically acclaimed The Mystery of the Parsee Lawyer about Arthur Conan Doyle and the George Edalji case, For King and Another Country about Indian Soldiers on the Western Front in the First World War, Victoria & Abdul and Spy Princess: The Life of Noor Inayat Khan.

Shrabani is a frequent commentator on radio and television on Indian history and Empire. She will be chatting to Lucinda Hawksley on the Goldster Inside Story on 1 June. 

Social media

Twitter: @shrabanibasu_