Angela Kelly - The Other Side of the Coin - The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe

I wanted to do this book justice. I wanted to be worthy of writing it, and to share with you the magical and engaging moments that have happened between Her Majesty and myself while we have been working together. The Queen may not have thought them magical, but I did and I still do.

During my twenty-five years to date of working with The Queen, many events and engagements have taken place. Her Majesty travels to and from Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Sandringham House, the Palace of Holyroodhouse and Balmoral Castle, and spends numerous private weekends away, too.

With this book I would like to share with you the wonderful working life and relationship between Her Majesty and me. The Queen and I have fun and laughter, but there is a serious side to my work in which challenging and difficult decisions have to be taken – split-second decisions sometimes. I have to be quick and think on my feet. But it’s all in a day’s work. Someone has to do it – and I’m so glad it’s me.

I hope you enjoy reading this book as much as I did writing it. So, get yourself a cup of tea, sit down, put your feet up, and let me take you on a magical journey once again.

With love,

LETTER FROM SAMANTHA COHEN CVO

29 October 2019

This book documents the unique working relationship between Her Majesty The Queen and the woman who has been her Personal Assistant and Senior Dresser for more than two decades: Angela Kelly.

It gives a rare glimpse into the demands of the job of supporting the Monarch, designing Her Majesty’s clothes and hats, and matching them with exquisite Royal jewellery. Throughout her long reign, Her Majesty has become a fashion icon, renowned for her sense of style and understated elegance. Behind the scenes, Angela has worked quietly with her to create fashion that is unique, accessible to all, and allows The Queen to reflect the trends of the day subtly, and with grace.

The book also reveals the lengthy preparations needed before important State occasions, such as the State Opening of Parliament. Most importantly, though, we gain privileged insight into a successful working relationship, characterised by humour, creativity, hard work, and a mutual commitment to service and duty.

On the many occasions I have worked with Angela in preparing for an important overseas or regional visit in the United Kingdom with Her Majesty, I have been struck by Angela’s endless enthusiasm and original ideas. She tries to make each Royal engagement memorable for those who will be seeing The Queen for the first time

Angela is a talented and inspiring woman, who has captured the highlights of her long career with The Queen for us all to share.

Samantha Cohen CVO

Assistant Private Secretary to The Queen (2011–2018)

FOREWORD

by Stewart Parvin MVO

I first met Angela one morning in the summer of 2001. She had come into my shop in Motcomb Street and was chatting to our saleslady, Gill Edwards. From Angela’s questions it became apparent that she needed a conversation with me. In those days our workroom was in the basement of the shop at Number 14 (previously the home of Royal couturier Ian Thomas), so I was immediately available. I ran upstairs to meet her and discuss her mystery client’s needs. She wanted to look at the quality of our workmanship, and I agreed straight away.

A few days later Angela reappeared and we had a lengthy discussion about fabrics. Her client couldn’t be seen wearing any of the items that we had in the main collection. The easiest way around this, I thought, was for us to pop downstairs and go through our archive: Angela could look at fabrics we had never used or had made into just one or two garments in previous seasons. I saw her delight as we pulled out tweeds, crêpes and silks – our mutual enthusiasm was infectious!

After we had taken cuttings from several rolls, I suggested that a few simple sketches to go with the swatches might help her client decide if I was the person she was looking for. Unbeknown to me, that was the start of our Royal journey.

Shortly afterwards I heard from Angela, who told me that her client liked four fabrics in particular: would it be possible for me to do sketches for each one?

I produced a pile of sketches offering three or four alternatives for each of the selected fabrics and waited for Angela to collect them. A week or so later she telephoned, delighted to tell me that her client had chosen several outfits, and she could now reveal that she herself was Senior Dresser to The Queen. She asked if I would like to make clothes for Her Majesty. After a few seconds’ disbelief I replied with an enthusiastic ‘Yes!’

In the early days, on occasion there might be an urgent request, and the lack of technology in our studio meant that we’d sometimes have to fax a design to Angela’s office to be discussed over the phone. As our relationship developed, Angela would often come to the studio – we later moved to a larger sewing room in West London – and we’d have fun as I proposed fabric combinations, buttons and trims. I would make preliminary sketches, Angela inspiring me with ideas that Her Majesty might like.

By now Angela, who had been creating off-duty clothes for Her Majesty, had started designing more formal outfits with a team of seamstresses at the Palace. I would often pop along to the in-house workroom and offer a helping hand to ease the process along, sometimes suggesting different techniques, interlinings, and other tricks of the trade. Over coffee in her office, Angela would show me her latest finds – such as exquisite laces and embroideries that she’d sourced on her travels and at shops such as London’s Joel & Son. We would drape the beautiful fabrics on stands, coming up with ideas for gowns for Her Majesty. No one knows better than Angela Kelly what is required of a Royal wardrobe, and it makes my end of the process so much easier. While sketching and choosing the ideas to put before Her Majesty, it’s been fascinating to see how Angela’s guiding hand often tends towards a bolder, more glamorous look.

At Joel & Son Fabrics.

These days we often meet at Joel’s as soon as they have their latest collection in stock to select prints that we will propose to Her Majesty. Often we find we’ve chosen the same design. We know, though, that either of us will come up with something fabulous for Her Majesty to wear.

Angela not only creates many wonderful outfits, she’s responsible for The Queen’s complete look. It’s fun to be shown into her millinery workroom, where, under Angela’s watchful eye, Stella McLaren creates so many of the eye-catching hats that Her Majesty now wears.

In fact, on several occasions we’ve worked as a team. Between us, we created the outfit The Queen wore for Prince Harry’s wedding: I designed several options for the coat and dress from the stunning silks Angela had chosen for the event, while Angela created the show-stopping hat that finished the iconic outfit.

We share so many fantastic memories of our times together from the start of our working relationship – when I had no idea who Angela was or who she worked for – to the present day.

When I look back at some of the iconic outfits we have both created, I feel such pride in what Angela and I have achieved.

Me and my pal at Joel & Son in 2019.

The Queen, wearing a Stewart Parvin outfit, with The Duke of Edinburgh during Trooping the Colour in 2016.