Queen’s ‘flunky’ wears in her new shoes

The Queen’s dressmaker and confidante has revealed she personally wears in the monarch’s shoes before engagements to make sure they are comfortable.

The admission by Angela Kelly features in her new book The Other Side of the Coin: The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe – extracts of which have been published by Hello! magazine.

In the book, Ms Kelly explains she shares the same shoe size as the Queen and, given the monarch has little time to herself, she wears in the shoes for the Queen.

She said: “It makes the most sense this way.”

“As has been reported a lot in the press, a flunky wears in Her Majesty’s shoes to ensure that they are comfortable and that she is always good to go,” she added.

“And, yes, I am that flunky.”

In the published extracts, Ms Kelly opens up about the meeting between Michelle Obama and the Queen which sparked controversy when the former first lady touched the Queen on the back.

Ms Kelly said it was “natural instinct” for the Queen to show affection and respect to “another great woman”.

“The Queen has the ability to make everyone feel so relaxed that sometimes it feels instinctive to be tactile with her, just as Michelle Obama demonstrated during the State Visit with her husband, President Obama, in 2009,” Ms Kelly said in the book.

Ms Kelly also shares anecdotes about the Queen’s part in a James Bond sketch at the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony.

Read the full article in today’s Hello! magazine.