Angela Kelly, 68, was the late Queen’s personal dresser for decades and the pair were like best friends. The pair shared private jokes and anecdotes during a 2006 Australia royal tour where Kelly played a cheeky kookaburra prank
The centenary of the late Queen’s birth is being marked with the largest-ever display of her remarkable wardrobe. The exhibition includes creations by a woman who once referred to herself as the former sovereign’s ‘best friend’.
Angela Kelly, the former monarch’s personal dresser, was responsible for many of her most striking and colourful ensembles – and was one of her most trusted confidantes. It’s said that the duo would chat about “anything and everything”, sharing tea, jokes, and stories about their grandchildren.
Ms Kelly published two books, with her former employer’s approval, detailing her experiences curating her wardrobe, designing her vibrant outfits, and caring for her jewellery.
In one of her books, she disclosed a joke she played on the late Queen during a royal tour of Australia in 2006 – and Her Majesty’s humorous reaction to it.
In her book The Other Side of the Coin, the dresser revealed that the late Queen was keen to see a kookaburra while in Australia. Unfortunately, she struggled to spot one, but Ms Kelly found an adorable stuffed toy version at a Sydney market and decided to purchase it for her – but not before having a bit of fun first.
She writes: “I had something in mind I thought the Queen would enjoy.” Upon returning to Governor’s House, where they were all residing, she placed the toy in a small cage on the balcony outside her room. She then informed the then monarch that she had seen a “funny-looking grey bird” through the window, reports the Mirror.
Ms Kelly added: “The Queen looked outside and shouted ‘It’s a kookaburra!’ I went to open the cage doors and she said loudly ‘No! Don’t do that! It will fly away!’ and was behind me in a flash. Turning to her Majesty while trying to keep a straight face, I solemnly told her it was dead.” The Queen appeared “horrified” until her dresser approached her with outstretched arms and declared “April Fool”.
She explained: “She had only two words for me: “You’re sacked. I was laughing uncontrollably as Her Majesty turned to His Royal Highness and said “Do you know what she has just done to me? Angela has had me!”.
The late Queen is said to have taken the little toy back to Windsor Castle with her, where it remained on the back of the sofa in her private sitting room.
Following Elizabeth II’s death, Ms Kelly has lost her grace-and-favour home on the Windsor estate and told her followers on Instagram: “Getting ready to say goodbye. I am moving at last to my new home which I will be able to call My Home at last.” Responding to a friend, she said her work phone had been disconnected and added she’d be relocating to the Peak District, near Sheffield, in a house provided by the King.
This week, six of Ms Kelly’s outfits that she designed for her former boss went on display in an exhibition at Buckingham Palace called Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style, although she has had minimal contact with the Palace since her departure. However, as the centenary of the late Queen’s birth draws near, the 68 year old shared with Vanity Fair how she recalls dancing and singing along to ABBA’s Dancing Queen in her bedroom.
She elaborated: “Every morning the queen would listen to the Terry Wogan show on Radio 2. When the song Dancing Queen came on she loved it, and both of us would dance. The Queen would move from side to side and sing.
“Her Majesty loved singing and had a good voice. I didn’t. I’d get carried away and be dancing all round her like I was at a disco, and the queen would tell me to ‘move over’ because I can’t sing and we laughed. They were moments to cherish, to see the queen so relaxed.”
She also fondly recalled spending the Easter holidays with the late Queen at Windsor adding: “The family would visit and she loved being granny. Her Majesty took her great-grandchildren out riding or walking. She did barbecues and fun things and she always washed the dishes, even when she was entertaining the prime minister.
“It was just a normal loving family, to be quite honest. If the duke, or whoever was cooking, burnt the burgers she’d just laugh. As long as they had extra to put back on, and as long as all the family were fed and watered, that was all right. The Queen was just full of energy and a really cool granny, to be honest.”
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.