From Housekeeper To Queen Adviser: Who's Behind Elizabeth's Perfect Look
Queen Elizabeth is famous for her impeccable appearance. Behind her perfect wardrobe is a personal adviser that makes sure she always looks extraordinary! We invite you to "meet" her.
Considered an embodiment of style at the age of 95, the Queen of Great Britain entrusts her image in the hands of one person, Angela Kelly, who is much more than her main stylist.
The Queen of Great Britain is considered by her people to be an embodiment of fashion. However, countless symbolic and diplomatic issues are to be considered when the Queen chooses to wear a certain outfit, which makes the act of dressing almost a matter of state.
Angela Kelly, a 65-year-old designer and the guardian of Queen Elizabeth II's wardrobe, has had this delicate mission since 2002.
Considered an embodiment of style at the age of 95, the Queen of Great Britain entrusts her image in the hands of one person, Angela Kelly, who is much more than her main stylist.
The Queen of Great Britain is considered by her people to be an embodiment of fashion. However, countless symbolic and diplomatic issues are to be considered when the Queen chooses to wear a certain outfit, which makes the act of dressing almost a matter of state.
Angela Kelly, a 65-year-old designer and the guardian of Queen Elizabeth II's wardrobe, has had this delicate mission since 2002.
Angela Kelly's "Job Description"
Kelly's formal title is Personal Advisor to Her Majesty (The Queen's Wardrobe), which means Kelly is the curator and designer of the Queen's clothing.Every day, Kelly oversees every detail of the queen's outfits in her public appearances, accompanies her on her travels, and is one of the few people allowed to touch her. But the British press attributes a much greater influence to her and often describes her as the "confidant" and even the "guardian" of Elizabeth II.
In a rare interview with The Telegraph, Angela Kelly spoke about her moments with the queen: "We are two typical women. We discuss clothes, make-up, jewelry. We say, 'Would this piece of jewelry look nice with that outfit?'."
Angela Kelly British fashion designer, dressmaker, and milliner, who has served as Personal Assistant and Senior Dresser to Queen Elizabeth II
The famous designer also explained that Queen Elizabeth II, who she says is an expert in fabrics, always makes the final decision on each look.Angela Kelly, who oversees a team of seamstresses and wardrobes, and also designs hats, not only checks the royal wardrobe. She designed some of the most iconic Queens's outfits, such as the pale yellow ensemble worn by the Queen to Will and Kate's royal wedding back in 2011 or the white embroidered dress the queen worn at the banquet in honor of the kings of Spain in July 2017 or the peach-colored outfit she wore to the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics.
The Queens's Gatekeeper Wrote Two Books
In 2017, Angela Kelly published the book "Dressing The Queen: The Jubilee Wardrobe", in celebration of Queen Elizabeth's 2012 Diamond Jubilee. It gave readers an inside look at many of the Queen's most memorable outfits worn throughout her Jubilee year.
In her book, Kelly shared some of the secrets of the queen's style and explained why the sovereign's dresses and skirts appear to be immune to wind and air currents: first of all, movement is tested and the lightness of the clothing in front of a fan and, if necessary, the fabric is "reinforced" with a lead thread sewed on the hem so the dress does not falter.
In 2019 she published a second book, "The Other Side of the Coin: The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe", which charming anecdotes about the monarch and life inside Buckingham Palace. She revealed, for example, that Her Majesty's diamonds are polished with gin and water, and that Kelly often shops in the "bargain bucket" to satisfy the Queen's love of a good deal.
In her book, Kelly shared some of the secrets of the queen's style and explained why the sovereign's dresses and skirts appear to be immune to wind and air currents: first of all, movement is tested and the lightness of the clothing in front of a fan and, if necessary, the fabric is "reinforced" with a lead thread sewed on the hem so the dress does not falter.
In 2019 she published a second book, "The Other Side of the Coin: The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe", which charming anecdotes about the monarch and life inside Buckingham Palace. She revealed, for example, that Her Majesty's diamonds are polished with gin and water, and that Kelly often shops in the "bargain bucket" to satisfy the Queen's love of a good deal.
Who Is Angela Kelly?
Queen Elizabeth and
Angela Kelly first met in 1992 in Germany. At that time Kelly was working as a housekeeper for the British Ambassador to Germany and the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were on an official visit to the country.
Kelly mentioned that she was planning on returning to Britain, and the next year, she was offered a position as a dresser for the Queen. "I suppose the Queen must have liked me and decided I was trustworthy and discreet," Angela Kelly said of her hiring.
Three years after joining the Queen's household, she was promoted to Senior Dresser. Kelly later became Personal Assistant and Senior Dresser in 2002, Harpers Bazaar UK reports.
In 2012, the Queen made Angela Kelly a lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order.
Kelly mentioned that she was planning on returning to Britain, and the next year, she was offered a position as a dresser for the Queen. "I suppose the Queen must have liked me and decided I was trustworthy and discreet," Angela Kelly said of her hiring.
Three years after joining the Queen's household, she was promoted to Senior Dresser. Kelly later became Personal Assistant and Senior Dresser in 2002, Harpers Bazaar UK reports.
In 2012, the Queen made Angela Kelly a lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order.
Queen Elisabeth's Gatekeeper Is Of Modest Origins
Angela Kelly was not formally trained in the fashion world, but her mother taught her how to sew and make clothes for her dolls. "What she lacks in education, she makes up for in her ambition," Kelly's ex-husband Jim Kelly told the Daily Mail.
"She left school as a young girl and never had any formal training, but she has risen to the top of her profession. She has always wanted to work for the Queen and has sacrificed a lot to do so."
Of modest origins, Angela Kelly was raised in a modest household in Liverpool, where her parents, Thomas and Teresa Bradley, worked as a crane driver and a nurse.
Kelly is divorced and has two sons and a daughter. She is also a grandmother.
"She left school as a young girl and never had any formal training, but she has risen to the top of her profession. She has always wanted to work for the Queen and has sacrificed a lot to do so."
Of modest origins, Angela Kelly was raised in a modest household in Liverpool, where her parents, Thomas and Teresa Bradley, worked as a crane driver and a nurse.
Kelly is divorced and has two sons and a daughter. She is also a grandmother.
Angela Kelly Started Her Own Fashion Label
Known for the fact that she designed iconic outfits for the queen, Kelly became almost a brand.
Called Kelly & Pordum, her label was founded with dressmaker Alison Pordum.
"I design the clothes and Alison Pordum and our team make them," Kelly told The Telegraph. "It all started because we designed one or two things for the Queen which she liked, and one thing led to another."
Called Kelly & Pordum, her label was founded with dressmaker Alison Pordum.
"I design the clothes and Alison Pordum and our team make them," Kelly told The Telegraph. "It all started because we designed one or two things for the Queen which she liked, and one thing led to another."
