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In a wide-ranging interview, Angela Kelly—Queen Elizabeth’s personal assistant, dresser, and advisor—gave a rare peek into her friendship with the late Queen.
Speaking to Vanity Fair’s Katie Nicholl, Kelly shared anecdotes from her nearly three decades spent working with the Queen; she joined the Royal Household in 1994 and was employed there until Queen Elizabeth’s death in 2022. “We both knew we had trust, loyalty, and understanding,” Kelly said. “The queen was my best friend and I miss her every day.”
She spoke about the late royal’s final years, and Queen Elizabeth’s unwavering commitment to her duty. “The queen was committed to doing her duty to the very end. Her Majesty never let anyone down. Even when she felt unwell, Her Majesty would not want anyone to know,” she said. “As I worked alongside the queen, year after year we were getting older, but we were both young at heart, the queen still had a twinkle in her eye. The banter and mischief continued until Balmoral. When the queen passed away she was surrounded by her family. It was a shock to the nation, to everyone. It was very sad, but it was an honor to serve the queen until the very end.”
Kelly also revealed that she spent time at Balmoral, the royal family’s Scottish estate, with Queen Elizabeth and her family. “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,” Kelly recalled. “It was just a normal loving family to be quite honest. If the Duke, or whoever was cooking, burned 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.”
After King Charles ascended the throne, Kelly was let go from her job and now lives with her family in Sheffield. She is the author of a book, The Other Side of the Coin: The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe, about her time working with Queen Elizabeth.
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Deputy Digital Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, celebrities, the royals, and a wide range of other topics. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Instagram, Twitter, and other social media platforms.