 In May 1892 , the Munshi returned to India on six months ' leave ; on his return , his wife and mother @-@ in @-@ law accompanied him . Both women were shrouded from head to foot and travelled in railway compartments with drawn curtains . Victoria wrote , " the two Indian ladies ... who are , I believe , the first Mohammedan purdah ladies who ever came over ... keep their custom of complete seclusion and of being entirely covered when they go out , except for the holes for their eyes . " As a woman , Victoria saw them without veils . The Munshi and his family were housed in cottages at Windsor , Balmoral and Osborne , the Queen 's retreat on the Isle of Wight . Victoria visited regularly , usually bringing her female guests , including the Empress of Russia and the Princess of Wales , to meet the Munshi 's female relatives . One visitor , Marie Mallet , the Queen 's maid @-@ in @-@ waiting and wife of civil servant Bernard Mallet , recorded : 
