An extraordinary life: descendant welcomes biography of woman ‘gifted’ to Queen Victoria

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• The Guardian
  An extraordinary life: descendant welcomes biography of woman ‘gifted’ to Queen Victoria

  <p>A girl called Àìná was captured by an African king and later taken to England to become Sarah Forbes Bonetta, protege of the imperial monarch </p><p>When she was seven years old, Bayo Randle’s great-great-grandmother Sarah Forbes Bonetta was presented to Queen Victoria at Windsor Castle as a “diplomatic gift” from an African king.</p><p>Victoria would go on to pay for Bonetta’s education, approve her marriage to one of west Africa’s wealthiest men, and become godmother to her eldest daughter.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/18/sarah-forbes-bonetta-biography-queen-victoria">Continue reading...</a>

  Sun, 18 Oct 2026 07:00:53 GMT

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1. 2026-10-18 07:00The Guardian — An extraordinary life: descendant welcomes biography of woman ‘gifted’ to Queen Victoria