THEY’RE ALSO ON THE A-TEAM! HER RIGHT-HAND WOMAN HER PRIVATE SECRETARY
ANGELA KELLY
The 64-year-old has served as Her Majesty’s personal assistant and senior dresser since 2002 and the two women are exceptionally close.
Angela is known as the monarch’s gatekeeper and has often joined her on trips overseas. During the pandemic she was part of the monarch’s “HMS Bubble” of reduced staff at Windsor Castle.
When Prince Philip passed away, Angela was one of the inner circle by the queen’s side as she mourned. Angela once described the relationship she had with the queen as “surprisingly normal”.
“We are two typical women. We discuss clothes, makeup, jewellery. We say, ‘Would this piece of jewellery look nice with that outfit?’”
EDWARD YOUNG
As the senior operational member of the royal household, he’s the channel of communication between the queen and government – not only in the UK but in the 14 other realms where the queen is sovereign.
Young, who has been in the job since 2017, also liaises with the armed forces, the church and the many organisations Her Majesty is patron of.
LADIESIN-WAITING
The queen had nine ladies-in-waiting before the death in December 2021 of Ann Fortune Fitzroy, who’d been with her since 1987, and in March 2022 of Diana Maxwell, who’d been with her for 34 years.
“They were dear friends who supported the queen on official duties,” a source toldTheTelegraph. “Unfortunately, a sad consequence of living a long life is that you have to say goodbye to a lot of people you care about.”
The queen now has seven women in her retinue. Ladies-in-waiting are close childhood friends of the queen who come from titled families with illustrious lineages. They act as personal assistants, helping Her Majesty run errands, deliver messages and organise correspondence. They also attend to personal matters and often accompany her on tours and visits.