There's little about the Queen's relationship with her children or grandchildren, but Prince Philip plays a starring role. The author is an admirer of that controversial character, claiming that his value to the Queen was that he ALWAYS told her the truth. I loved his blunt opinion of an outfit done in a loud plaid. Suitable for covering the sofa, was the way he put it, saving his wife the embarrassment of appearing in clothing unsuited for her petite figure. Angela describes the Queen in a personal light without revealing anything too personal and nothing scandalous. Queen Elizabeth is interested in the details of every aspect of her job and what is reflected to the world. I loved the stories of local tribes, people and markets from her visits supply her wardrobe. That QEII enjoys a good bargain and is known to use fabric she may have given 30 plus years ago today. QEII is also a practical joker who takes it as well as she gives it. Prince Phillip is a person you can rely on when you need an honest opinion (when asked about a questionable fabric choice he responded with "are we reupholstering the couch?" Angela clearly loves QEII and by extension her job. One crucial factor was the dress The Queen would wear for the momentous skydive. I had to be careful not to choose a colour that was strongly associated with any of the participating nations, too, so after much consideration, I chose peach. However, the colour wasn't the only factor, the dress also had to be designed perfectly to allow movement in the skirt as The Queen seemingly flew through the air." Together with British fashion designer Stewart Parvin, Kelly altered, remodeled and fitted the dress that Princess Beatrice of York wore at her wedding to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi on 17 July 2020. The original dress was designed by the British fashion designer Norman Hartnell, who had originally created it for Queen Elizabeth II, the bride's grandmother, in the 1960s. [13]

The Other Side of the Coin: The Queen, the Dresser and the

From Her Majesty’s trusted confidant and Dresser Angela Kelly LVO comes a lavishly designed book of never-before-seen photos of The Queen, Her wardrobe and Her jewels and features intimate anecdotes from Angela’s 25-year career working closely with Her Majesty. A truly unique keepsake and collectors’ item to be treasured.

a b Taylor, Elise (20 February 2018). "Who Is Angela Kelly, the Queen's Right-Hand Woman at London Fashion Week?". Vogue . Retrieved 4 August 2019. If you know me, you know my love and obsession for the Royals and for fashion and this book covered it all! This book was on my Christmas list and although it is the second book of Angela Kelly and I have not had the chance to read the first one, this book gave an insight of what it is like to work for Her Majesty, The Queen. And oh how I wish I did! Hallemann, Caroline (18 July 2020). "Princess Beatrice's Stunning Vintage Wedding Dress Was Her "Something Old" ". Town and Country Magazine . Retrieved 18 July 2020. I'm not a clothes horse OR a follower of the Royals, but I was fascinated by Kelly's stories of her childhood as one of six children in a working class family in Liverpool. She started working at age fifteen and married and had three children by the time she was in her twenties. She was divorced when she was hired to take charge of the Queen's wardrobe.

Angela Kelly could How the Queen ensured her close confidante Angela Kelly could

Joseph, Claudia (20 October 2013). "Creator of christening gown finally revealed". The Times . Retrieved 26 September 2022. The author uses the opportunity to remove the public's misconceptions about Queen and the royal family in this book. She tells us why we shouldn't believe these furtive details spread as rumors circulating in the crowd. Are some of the detailed descriptions of Queen's private room discussed in the news and social media true? One of the good things about working in the same job for such a long time is that it allows you to put things right that haven't gone quite as planned in the past."

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And yet, when her long time Senior Dresser asked permission to write a book about working together, the Queen gave her enthusiastic approval, with (apparently) no strings attached. The Queen is a more intelligent woman than her mother and has a shrewd appreciation of the value of good publicity. She has the confidence to trust completely and it pays off. With the help of Angela Kelly, she opted for yellow and pink and powder blue, in summery dresses with pretty floral designs." This book is a highly enjoyable read. To my knowledge, this is the first book sanctioned by the Queen written by a staff member; a current staff member at that. I would have been interested to read more in the book about the history of the position of the Queen's dresser over the course of Queen Elizabeth II's reign. Kelly notes that previous dressers did not keep records concerning the provenance of materials in the Queen's wardrobe and I would liked to learn more about the challenges Kelly faced in organizing the Queen's fashions when she began her role.

Five royal secrets revealed by the Queen’s dresser Angela Kelly Five royal secrets revealed by the Queen’s dresser Angela Kelly

A fascinating glimpse of life behind the scenes in the Queen's household. As the Queen's Personal Assistant and senior dresser, Angela Kelly describes her numerous duties including consulting with Queen about suitable fashions for every occasion, caring for delicate fabrics and conducting advance visits to royal tour itineraries to plan the Queen's wardrobe. Kelly also describes the more unique aspects of her role including ironing on the royal train (following the rhythm of the train "like surfing") and letting the bookies know when to close the betting on the colour of the Queen's hat at Royal Ascot.

Not that she doesn't value discretion. She met the author during a royal visit to the British Embassy in Germany, where Kelly was the housekeeper. Asked about who would be the next guest there, Kelly refused to say, citing the pledge she had given not to divulge details of her duties. The Queen and Prince Philip were amused at Kelly's firmness, but they didn't forget it, either. Soon afterwards, she returned to England and was approached about a job in the Palace. The Royals like staff who can keep their mouths shut! The author is a professional royal family dresser. So she goes into the details of selecting costumes for the Queen and what she considered and discussed with the Queen while choosing each outfit. If you are someone who is reading this book just to know more about Queen and not a fashion aficionado and are not interested to know anything about her wardrobe, haute couture, and fashion, you will find some of these areas of this book boring. A few of the photos are only of scenic locations (e.g. the Taj Mahal, the Sydney Opera House, etc.) with no one in the shots. The author portrays the Queen as an intelligent woman with a well-developed sense of humor and a charming modesty. Her life's work (and first responsibility) is to serve the people of the British Empire and her ego is sublimated to that goal. If a hat designed to match that day's outfit turns out to be unflattering, she's unflappable. She won't have a temper tantrum and disappoint the people who've come to see her. She's the Queen and their servant. She must go through with her schedule and she MUST wear a hat. If it looks like hell, too damned bad. In 2008, Her Majesty was invited to Slovenia and Slovakia for a four-day State Visit. Three months before, I traveled with a small group of the Royal Household to both countries to do our usual recce ahead of the Royal visit.

Angela Kelly handed final gift from Queen allowing her to Angela Kelly handed final gift from Queen allowing her to

Kelly, Angela (2019). The Other Side of the Coin: The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe. HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 978-0008368364.The way Queen Elizabeth II came to the London Olympics inauguration garnered much public attention. The author takes us to some new information that happened behind the scenes, how this whole procedure was carried out, and why the Queen agreed to do such a funny video with James Bond breaking the protocol.