He is known for being one of Queen Victoria's most trusted confidants, but a diary kept by her Indian servant reveals an intimate bond that even stretched to sex tips.
Abdul Karim had a controversial relationship with the queen, so much so that members of the Royal Family tried to delete his role from history following her death.
But a new film, Victoria and Abdul, based on the book by Shrabani Basu, shines a light on the relationship and reveals Victoria shared advice on sexual positions with Mr Karim, who was just 24 when the pair first met.
And Dame Judi Dench, who plays Victoria in the upcoming movie, even called the queen - who had nine children - a 'goer', according to The Times.
Ms Basu was granted rare access to the Royal Archives while writing her book and said Mr Karim's diary, that revealed intimate details between the pair, survived the destruction of his belongings upon Victoria's death in 1901. And she used to the queen's diaries - written in the Urdu taught to her by Mr Karim - to glean fresh details of the relationship.
The letters, written over a 13-year period, are littered with kisses and signed variously as 'Your dearest friend' and 'Your dearest mother'.
According to the author, the closeness between Victoria and Mr Karim was a cause of concern for the palace, and her son, who became Edward VII, was worried by the relationship. And in the hours after Victoria's death members of the royal family launched a mission to recover the letters between the pair. Abdul was banished and died eight years later, a broken man.
Victoria was famously married to Prince Albert but following his death found companionship with ghillie John Brown.
The film, starring Michael Gambon as Lord Salisbury and Eddie Izzard as the Prince of Wales, is due out next month.
