EASTERN ENCOUNTERS: FOUR CENTURIES OF INDO-SCOTTISH CONNECTIONS

As Queen Victoria sat penning her journals in her Scottish summer hideaway at Balmoral, she had little idea that one day she would consent to their publication. Not only would her holiday diaries be published, they would become international bestsellers of their day, translated into numerous languages (including Scots Gaelic), and would find places on bookshelves from Sweden to Australia.

Apart from a brief, albeit spectacular visit by George IV to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in 1822, Queen Victoria was the first reigning British monarch to stay in Scotland since Charles II. Her time spent there was inextricably linked with Prince Albert. After his death in 1861, as she retreated from public view, Queen Victoria began to re-read her Scottish diaries incessantly. Their publication in 1868 stemmed from a friendly suggestion that others might find reading them as rewarding as she did.

It was also likely an attempt by the queen’s advisors to raise her dwindling public profile. It worked. The book, entitled , sold out within three months. It went through several reprints, had a sequel () and the queen once again found her way