THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN
THE QUEEN, THE DRESSER AND THE WARDROBE
ANGELA KELLY
Harpercollins, 304pp, £20
Angela Kelly, the daughter of a crane driver and nurse from Walton Merseyside, described her reason for writing her book; ‘to share the magical and engaging moments that have happened between Her Majesty and myself’. She is Her Majesty’s Personal Advisor and Curator (The Queen’s Jewellery, Insignias and Wardrobe) and In-house Designer. She is also the first person in history to hold the title. The Queen personally gave Angela Kelly her blessing with the project.
This is an ‘entertaining and beautifully illustrated account of her work’, said Roland White, in the Times. ‘Sometimes the tone of the book comes straight from the pages of Hello!, but overall Kelly has pulled off a remarkable feat of diplomacy:
writing about her employer without causing offence, yet without being syrupy.’
Camilla Tominey in the Telegraph, found that the account is ‘unprecedented in its candour about one of the world’s most elusive women – served up by her most trusted servant’. The photographs charm, some of which come from Ms Kelly’s private collection. They illustrate ‘what it is really like to form a “true and lasting connection” with the longest reigning monarch in British history’, and give the project a sense of being ‘much more intimate in its approach’.
Jackie Sedeño, wrote in the Crown Chronicles, that ‘This is without a doubt the closest we will get at a sneak peek inside the process of designing, sourcing and curating the dresses, hats and accessories that comprise the Queen’s wardrobe.’ Though she conceded that Ms Kelly’s words ‘rarely veer from an obsequious undertone’.