Victoria & Abdul kneeling at a large statue of the Queen close to the Taj Mahal, talking to it and kissing its feet in respect. On 17 June 2016, it was reported that Judi Dench would play Queen Victoria in "Victoria & Abdul", a film based on the book of the same name by Shrabani Basu. Stephen Frears was set to direct. Dench had also portrayed Victoria in the 1997 film "Mrs Brown". On 5 August 2016, it was announced that Ali Fazal would play Victoria's confidant Abdul Karim, while the film would be co-produced by Working Title Films and BBC Films, and
MS Queen Victoria impending retirement from service in late 2008, though the ships did meet again in Southampton on 22 April 2008, resulting from a change in "Queen Elizabeth 2's" schedule. In May 2008, "Queen Victoria" struck a pier in Malta after her thrusters malfunctioned. However the damage was minimal, allowing the ship to continue operating, but repairs resulted in her missing a port of call in La Goulette. "Queen Victoria" completed her third World Cruise in 2010 where she was joined by Captain Chris Wells who was aboard to familiarise himself with the Vista-class ship before taking command of "Queen Elizabeth" in