Victoria and Abdul Costumes

During August and September 2017 the Durbar Room played host to a selection of costumes from the ‘Victoria and Abdul’ film.

The elaborate costumes were worn by Dame Judi Dench (Queen Victoria), Eddie Izzard (Prince Edward ‘Bertie’ VII) and Ali  Fazal (Abdul Karim).  The Durbar Room is a dining room designed by Rudyard Kipling’s father, Lockwood, and master carver Bhai Ram Singh with intricate Indian-style plaster work to reflect Victoria’s role as Empress of India.

Victoria and Abdul, much of which was filmed on location at Osborne, tells the story of an Indian clerk who is sent to England to present the Queen with a gift from the nation, only to unwittingly befriend and become one of the closest confidants of the monarch, much to the disdain of the royal family and household.