Life with the Queen uncloaked
ANGELA Kelly is arguably the unlikeliest courtier since Baldrick, with a role as unique as her job title: Personal Advisor, Curator And Senior Dresser To Her Majesty The Queen (The Queen’s Jewellery, Insignia And Wardrobe). And she tells the story of her unique role in this memoir of 25 years in the Royal household.
The Other Side Of The Coin is a record of “the wonderful working life and relationship between Her Majesty and me”, revealing the Queen to be “merrily informal” with her inner circle.
Angela writes of her upbringing in Liverpool, in a thrifty household where the sewing machine was always whirring. She describes how the midi-length skirt she wore for her interview at the Palace made her feel like Miss Marple, and admits to initial self-consciousness about her accent.
She includes photographs of her younger self with a fluffy fringe, wearing high heels on the moors at Balmoral, and you sense that Angela is very much the Marmite of the Royal household, making snooty courtiers roll their eyes.
Did a courtier truly believe the ravens would leave the Tower Of London if a photograph of the Queen with her hands in her pockets appeared in public? Apparently so. And which patronising couturier snubbed our newly promoted senior dresser in 2001? Angela is too discreet to name names.
In any case, the only opinion that matters toAngela is the Queen’s.And it is the Queen, and Angela’s photographs of her, that make this anecdotal book unique.
Let’s be clear: the Queen does not aspire to cutting-edge high fashion. Instead, over the years,Angela and her employer have created a template to cover all eventualities, creating an iconic image of Queen Elizabeth II, who will always be remembered as vividly attired in matching dress, coat and hat.
Angela’s job is to ensure that the Queen’s clothes stand out; that’s the easy part.The challenge is making sure they do so on every occasion.
She also shares secrets of this
extraordinary wardrobe, from how to clean diamonds (gin and water, if your own gems look dull) to how to get the creases out of a velvet cloak so heavy it takes four people to lift it.
And the pages are full of small pranks and light-hearted fun. When Angela’s hair underwent a “light and dark” dye, the Queen told her she looked like a pint of Guinness.
And in Australia, Angela perched a stuffed toy kookaburra on the Queen’s balcony then brought it to the Queen, saying it must have died of shock.The Queen took one look and declared: “You’re sacked.”
There have been other memoirs by one-time royal staff, including Sarah Goodall, Patrick Jephson and Paul Burrell. Angela’s book is kinder and gentler.The Other Side Of The Coin lifts the royal curtain without offending anyone – except perhaps that anonymous snooty couturier.
● Jacky Colliss Harvey set up the Royal Collection’s first publishing programme in 2002. Her book The Animal’s Companion: People And Their Pets is out now (Allen & Unwin, £14.99).