Queen Elizabeth II\u2019s fiercest protector, who earned the nickname \u201cAK-47,\u201d would \u201ctake a bullet\u201d for the monarch, royal experts claimed. This devotion later put her on a collision course with Meghan Markle during the infamous \u201cTiaragate.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAngela Kelly was the real deal, a friend who would take a bullet for the queen,\u201d British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard told Fox News Digital. \u201cAnd it\u2019s telling. Palace insiders called her \u2018AK-47\u2019 after the assault rifle because \u2018people felt threatened by her.\u2019 She was influential enough to \u2018take people out\u2019 of Buckingham Palace.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been said that the late queen\u2019s devoted dresser was no-nonsense, especially when it came to royal protocol.<\/p>\n
INSIDE THE ROYAL FAMILY\u2019S SECRET \u2018BALMORAL TEST\u2019 THAT MAKES OR BREAKS POTENTIAL BRIDES<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cMeghan Markle was on a collision course as she wasn\u2019t adhering to longstanding traditions, which ruffled many feathers among many staff members,\u201d British royals expert Hilary Fordwich<\/a> claimed to Fox News Digital. \u201cAngela was loyal to proper protocol and was the enforcer of such. Her dedication and duration of service meant she ended up shaping the presentation of the monarchy and was a gatekeeper regarding access.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHer influence really impacted optics,\u201d Fordwich added.<\/p>\n Fordwich and Chard\u2019s statements came after Kelly, the queen\u2019s longtime assistant, advisor and curator, gave a rare interview to Vanity Fair<\/a> correspondent and royal author Katie Nicholl.<\/p>\n WATCH: PRINCE HARRY, MEGHAN MARKLE CAUSED QUEEN STRESS IN FINAL YEARS: AUTHOR<\/p>\n Kelly laid bare her close friendship with Britain\u2019s longest-reigning monarch, who would have turned 100 on April 21, and how, during their decades-long friendship, she managed the queen\u2019s wardrobe, including her iconic, colorful outfits.<\/p>\n Kelly also oversaw the queen\u2019s collection of jewelry and ceremonial items, a responsibility that reportedly placed her at the center of a heated dispute with Prince Harry<\/a> dubbed \u201cTiaragate.\u201d<\/p>\n Nicholl wrote that ahead of her wedding to Harry in 2018, Meghan was<\/a> presented with a selection of tiaras for the occasion. Although the former American actress was drawn to an emerald piece, Nicholl noted it was ultimately deemed unsuitable for her big day.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile Meghan was happy with the Queen Mary Diamond Bandeau that the queen had offered her instead, tensions arose again when Meghan was told by Kelly that she was not allowed to use the tiara for a trying-on session with her hairdresser ahead of the wedding day, reportedly causing Harry to \u2018erupt\u2019 at Kelly,\u201d wrote Nicholl.<\/p>\n A palace source told Nicholl that the queen refused to let the tiara leave the palace two weeks before the wedding.<\/p>\n \u201c[Angela] often took a bullet for the queen, but this time Harry really went for [her],\u201d a source claimed to Nicholl. \u201cHarry was giving Angela hell.\u201d<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER<\/a><\/p>\n Royal expert Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital that Kelly wasn\u2019t afraid to face anyone who challenged her. But that also reportedly put her in direct conflict with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.<\/p>\n \u201cWith the nickname \u2018AK-47,\u2019 she guarded the sacred values of the queen\u2019s collection, including the precious jewels, clothes and hats,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n \u201cShe guarded these areas with a renowned intensity, making her the queen\u2019s fashion bodyguard. There were many rumors surrounding how the royal household never tried to oppose or impose any strategies on her. She was regarded as the feminine equivalent of a Rottweiler, with a bite if she was questioned.\u201d<\/p>\n However, nothing prepared Kelly to reportedly go toe-to-toe with the boss\u2019s grandson, who was just as protective of his future wife. A palace source told Nicholl that she \u201cwas very much caught in the middle.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAt one point, [Harry] said, \u2018Let me tell you, I don\u2019t agree with you talking to my grandmother about this,\u2019\u201d Nicholl wrote. \u201cAngela was in tears and went to the queen, saying she couldn\u2019t take it anymore. Eventually, the queen said, \u2018He can\u2019t have it; I\u2019ll deal with him. We\u2019re having enough trouble with this wedding.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPeople still question how Kelly had the queen\u2019s ear, viewing her as a mere servant,\u201d said Chard. \u201cKelly\u2019s power wasn\u2019t ceremonial. She controlled access to the queen daily, and Queen Elizabeth backed her. Kelly put her heart and life into her work. She ran a tight, tidy ship, never leaving a stone unturned. She cared deeply for Queen Elizabeth, instilling confidence, protecting royal protocol and hierarchy, which was seen as an obstruction to some. However, it was given the queen\u2019s approval.\u201d<\/p>\n LIKE WHAT YOU\u2019RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cQueen Elizabeth declared that the tiara<\/a> in question \u2018was not a toy,\u2019\u201d Fordwich claimed. \u201cAngela was loyal to proper protocol and was the enforcer of such.\u201d<\/p>\n Fox News Digital reached out to Buckingham Palace for comment.<\/p>\n Harry, 41, shared a different account of \u201cTiaragate\u201d in his 2023 memoir, \u201cSpare.\u201d He wrote that Meghan was initially set to wear the Spencer tiara, previously worn by his mother, the late Princess Diana<\/a>. The queen then asked if Meghan wanted to wear a tiara from her collection.<\/p>\n \u201cShe offered us access to her collection of tiaras,\u201d Harry wrote, as quoted by People magazine<\/a>. \u201cShe even invited us to Buckingham Palace to try them on. \u2018Do come over,\u2019 I remember her saying.\u201d<\/p>\n Harry said that the queen herself suggested that Meghan practice putting on the heirloom with her hairdresser. \u201cIt\u2019s tricky, and you don\u2019t want to be doing it for the first time on the wedding day,\u201d said the queen, he recalled.<\/p>\n Harry claimed that Kelly made it difficult to arrange. Not only did she become unresponsive to the couple, but she eventually told them that the tiara needed a \u201cpolice escort\u201d to leave the palace. When Harry agreed to arrange for an orderly and a police officer to do so, Kelly \u201cinexplicably\u201d told him, \u201ccan\u2019t be done,\u201d the book claimed.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI considered going to Granny, but that would probably mean sparking an all-out confrontation, and I wasn\u2019t quite sure with whom Granny would side,\u201d Harry wrote<\/a>. \u201cAlso, to my mind, Angela was a troublemaker, and I didn\u2019t need her as an enemy.\u201d<\/p>\n Chard noted that with Meghan being a newcomer to the British royal family\u2019s tight circle, there were bound to be obstacles with protocol.<\/p>\n \u201cThe \u2018Tiaragate\u2019 controversy arose as Hollywood and palace hierarchy clashed,\u201d said Chard. \u201cSources have also shared whispers of other family tensions. However, sources have only offered glowing reports of the queen and Angela Kelly\u2019s relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n Fordwich said that Kelly earned her \u201cclever\u201d nickname with good reason. She was \u201csharply effective\u201d and \u201can empowered gatekeeper and protector\u201d of the queen.<\/p>\n \u201cAngela earned her place of privilege with the immense trust shown by the queen due to her dedication and loyalty, two characteristics that are critical to serving the royals,\u201d said Fordwich. \u201cAngela also, rather uniquely, earned personal trust through some special talents, such as breaking in shoes for the queen, updating her look, which was successfully welcomed, and becoming a trusted confidante during the COVID lockdown<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlthough from different backgrounds, the late queen and Angela Kelly held similar values, with duty being their priority,\u201d said Chard. \u201cThey forged an unbreakable bond. Queen Elizabeth loved Kelly\u2019s pragmatic bluntness and viewed her as an incredibly loyal friend.<\/p>\n