The Lost Child

A remarkable and unique tale that has remained in the footnotes of history: the story of Sarah Forbes Bonetta a little Yoruba girl living in West Africa in the mid nineteenth century in what was then known as the Slave Coast. Her family slaughtered in a brutal raid by a rival tribe - she was rescued by a British naval officer and ended up living in England as a protege of Queen Victoria, who provided generously for her upkeep and education. A regular visitor to the Queen and her family at their royal homes, she formed a lifelong and close attachment to the royal family.
A celebrity in England and admired by many for her intelligence, social skills and musical talents, Sarah became part of the changing debate about slavery, race, identity and empire.
Zeinab Badawi brings this carefully researched and compelling account of the life of Sarah Forbes Bonetta: the lost child in a lost chapter of Queen Victoria's life.