Queen Victoria was one of the United Kingdom's most loved monarchs. She ruled over her country with dignity and grace though she wasn't a lady to be toyed with. After the death of her beloved husband, Albert, the queen found herself mourning her loss for the rest of her life - famously she wore black for her remaining years. She took solace in her children and continued to be a fine ruler of the country.
After the loss of Albert, few people penetrated the queen's frosty persona, most famously she developed a great friendship with a Scottish servant called John Brown and they remained good friends - some even say lovers - until his death. Once again alone, the queen was only to develop one other significant friendship outside of her close circle.
As the queen was celebrating her Golden Jubilee, she found herself surrounded by kings and queens from around the world but the one person that she genuinely struck up a friendship with was a Muslim waiter called Abul. Though it was entirely frowned upon for the royals to associate with lowly servants, Victoria was never one to follow those rules.
Abdul began spending more time with the queen and as she learnt of more of the issues affecting India - including drought and famine - she approached Abdul to teach her more about the people in his country. Victoria called Abdul her Munshi which translates as 'teacher'. Though their lives were entirely different, the one connecting factor they shared, service, was strong enough for them to develop a true friendship.
As news of their friendship spread, the queen came under increasing pressure from her son, The Prince Of Wales, to cast him aside for fear he might be a spy; however the loyal ruler, Victoria, wouldn't let anyone influence her life or friendships.
Directed by Stephen Frears, the film sees the director once again work with Judi Dench who he cast in the lead role of the 2013 film Philomena.
Starring: Judi Dench, Ali Fazal, Eddie Izzard, Adeel Akhtar, Michael Gambon, Simon Callow, Julian Wadham, Olivia Williams, Fenella Woolgar, Jonathan Harden