The real life Abdul and Victoria.
I had seen the film 'Victoria and Abdul' just before I left Australia, the movie was enjoyable and I was looking forward to seeing the exhibition at Osborne House. Some of the movie was filmed at Osborne, including the scenes in the real Durbar Room. It's been set up as a banquet, with some of the movie costumes in the room.
The Durbar Room was added to Osborne House after Victoria became interested in India. It was designed by Lockwood Kipling (Rudyard Kipling's father) and Bhai Rum Singh, a master carver. The plasterwork is stunning, it's a beautiful room.
The room is set up with cases displaying some of the gifts given to Victoria from the Indian subcontinent as well as a few costumes from the movie.
The outfit Eddie Izzard wore as Victoria's oldest son, the Prince of Wales.
The Indian livery created for the Indian palace servants, as well as Judy Dench's outfit as Victoria. In real life Queen Victoria was quite short, but I didn't realise Judy Dench is as well, the outfit was tiny! Lots of attention to detail, including the mourning jewellery Victoria wore. Here it's in the form of a bracelet with Albert's picture on it.
Outdoor outfit for when Victoria and Abdul were strolling around the groups of Osborne.
I spotted this small picture in one of the rooms, it's Abdul Karim and Mohammed Buksh. It amused me that it showed the movie was right to depict then as tall and short!
As shown in the movie, Victoria had a series of paintings placed in the corridor leading to the Durbar Room.
These were paintings of the Indian staff that Victoria had at Osborne.
The real Abdul Karim.
Abdul as painted by Queen Victoria.
Victoria's notebooks where she practised her Hindustani, (as Urdu was known at the time), the top of the page is in Urdu and underneath the English translations.
Osborne House was wonderful to visit and there was an extra layer to my visit with the story of Victoria and her 'Munshi'. I bought the book the movie was based on at the gift shop, am looking forward to reading more of their story.
I had seen the film 'Victoria and Abdul' just before I left Australia, the movie was enjoyable and I was looking forward to seeing the exhibition at Osborne House. Some of the movie was filmed at Osborne, including the scenes in the real Durbar Room. It's been set up as a banquet, with some of the movie costumes in the room.
The Durbar Room was added to Osborne House after Victoria became interested in India. It was designed by Lockwood Kipling (Rudyard Kipling's father) and Bhai Rum Singh, a master carver. The plasterwork is stunning, it's a beautiful room.
The room is set up with cases displaying some of the gifts given to Victoria from the Indian subcontinent as well as a few costumes from the movie.
Outdoor outfit for when Victoria and Abdul were strolling around the groups of Osborne.
As shown in the movie, Victoria had a series of paintings placed in the corridor leading to the Durbar Room.
These were paintings of the Indian staff that Victoria had at Osborne.
Victoria's notebooks where she practised her Hindustani, (as Urdu was known at the time), the top of the page is in Urdu and underneath the English translations.
Osborne House was wonderful to visit and there was an extra layer to my visit with the story of Victoria and her 'Munshi'. I bought the book the movie was based on at the gift shop, am looking forward to reading more of their story.
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