 According to Karim biographer Sushila Anand , the Queen 's own letters testify that " her discussions with the Munshi were wide @-@ ranging — philosophical , political and practical . Both head and heart were engaged . There is no doubt that the Queen found in Abdul Karim a connection with a world that was fascinatingly alien , and a confidant who would not feed her the official line . " Karim was placed in charge of the other Indian servants and made responsible for their accounts . Victoria praised him in her letters and journal . " I am so very fond of him " she wrote , " He is so good & gentle & understanding all I want & is a real comfort to me . " She admired " her personal Indian clerk & Munshi , who is an excellent , clever , truly p [ i ] ous & very refined gentle man , who says , ' God ordered it ' ... God 's Orders is what they implicitly obey ! Such faith as theirs & such conscientiousness set us a gt. example . " At Balmoral Castle , the Queen 's Scottish estate , Karim was allocated the room previously occupied by John Brown , a favourite servant of the Queen 's who had died in 1883 . Despite the serious and dignified manner that Karim presented to the outside world , the Queen wrote that " he is very friendly and cheerful with the Queen 's maids and laughs and even jokes now — and invited them to come and see all his fine things offering them fruit cake to eat " . 
