25 April 2024 , 13:53
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The late Queen's former dresser Angela Kelly reportedly incurred the wrath of then-Prince Charles over what he deemed to be 'inappropriate' photos of his mother.
Angela, who was also a close confidant of the monarch, included the pictures in her 2019 book The Queen, The Dresser and the Wardrobe. They had been taken for a Royal Collection photo shoot, and unusually showed the Queen posing with her hands in her pockets.
Alongside the images, Angela explained: "Her Majesty started striking a series of poses, slipping her hands in and out of her pockets and placing them on to her hips, mimicking the stance of a professional model."
But her eldest son was less than happy. In her book, My Mother and I, royal author Ingrid Seward wrote: "It was enough to incur Charles's wrath. He thoroughly disliked what he considered was taking advantage of her good nature."
It has been suggested that Charles and Angela often didn't see eye-to-eye. The royal fashion designer first began working for the Queen in 1994 before becoming her Personal Assistant and Senior Dresser in 2002. Following the monarch's death, Angela vacated her cottage in Windsor Home Park - reportedly at Charles' request.
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According to the book Courtiers by Valentine Low, "The powers that be were not terribly keen on Kelly continuing to occupy her grace-and-favour home" and "negotiations ensued in which it was suggested that the King would buy her a home near Sheffield, to be near her grandchildren".
As the insider put it: "Angela wasn't everybody's cup of tea, but nevertheless the King had no wish to see her homeless. I get the impression that the King just didn't want to be living next door to her."
Angela was made a Commander of the Victorian Order, along with the late monarch's trusted Page Paul Whybrew and head groom, Terry Pendry, when Queen Elizabeth II's Demise Honours List was published in March. On the first anniversary of Elizabeth II's death in September, Angela paid tribute in a poignant Instagram post, writing: "I will never forget you. I will always love you. I miss you my friend [heart emoji]," later adding: "I miss her, you will always be in our hearts [heart emoji]."
Among the royal dresser's most notable creations is the replica of the original 1841 royal christening gown, which Queen Elizabeth II commissioned Angela to make in 2004 and which has been worn by a number of royal babies, including the Prince and Princess of Wales's three children. Angela also created the late Queen's primrose-yellow coat for Prince William and Princess Kate's wedding, and remodelled the Norman Hartnell dress which Princess Beatrice wore on her wedding day to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in 2020.