"Queen Victoria’s Last Love" (2012) - Channel 4 Documentary

[Artemisia]

Victoria's secret crush: How Queen fell under the spell of Indian servant after death of ghillie companion John Brown

Just imagine. It’s the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee year, the eyes of the world are on London... and the Prince of Wales threatens to have his mother declared insane. Unthinkable? Well, that’s what happened to Queen Victoria in 1897 after her Royal Household refused to condone any longer Her Majesty’s shockingly intimate friendship with an Indian servant.
It was a relationship that violated Victorian taboos of race and class, and threatened to destabilise the monarchy and the Empire – yet, although Queen Victoria’s earlier scandalous relationship with her Scottish ghillie [an outdoor servant] John Brown is still common knowledge today, her deep affection for her Muslim servant has been almost forgotten.

 

[NoorMeansLight]

This is very interesting, almost fascinating. Thank you for recommending it, Artemisia!

 

[Noble Consort Ming]

Very interesting. I learned about something else from the article, the story of Sara Forbes Bonetta. The article calls her Victoria's adopted African daughter although I don't believe she technically adopted her.

Sara Forbes Bonetta - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Artemisia]

This is very interesting, almost fascinating. Thank you for recommending it, Artemisia!

You are welcome!
I have to wait and actually form an opinion of this documentary; as a rule though I don't trust Channel 4's documentaries all that much.

Very interesting. I learned about something else from the article, the story of Sara Forbes Bonetta. The article calls her Victoria's adopted African daughter although I don't believe she technically adopted her.
Sara Forbes Bonetta - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sara was certainly never adopted by the Queen; rather, she was raised as her goddaughter - an exceptional honour by itself since at the time only royals and representatives of the most illustrious nobility could ask Queen Victoria to be a godmother for their children. Sarah Forbes Bonetta's daughter was also an "unofficial" goddaughter to the Queen who took a great interest in her upbringing.