The Other Side of the Coin: The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe

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

‘Full of gems … Angela Kelly is a jewel in the crown’Daily Telegraph ‘Entertaining and beautifully illustrated’The Sunday Times ‘For real intel, can’t come close to The Other Side of the Coin by Angela Kelly’The New York Times First print run features a specially designed cut-down dust jacket ‘Fascinating book’HELLO! ‘The book is a trove of warm and insightful anecdotes’ Daily Mail ‘Angela Kelly shares fascinating and charming anecdotes’ Good Housekeeping When Angela Kelly and The Queen are together, laughter echoes through the corridors of Buckingham Palace. Angela has worked with The Queen and walked the corridors of the Royal Household for twenty-five years, initially as Her Majesty’s Senior Dresser and then latterly as Her Majesty’s Personal Advisor, Curator, Wardrobe and In-house Designer. As the first person in history to hold this title, she shares a uniquely close working relationship with The Queen. In The Other Side of the Coin, The Queen has personally given Angela her blessing to share their extraordinary bond with the world. Whether it’s preparing for a formal occasion or brightening Her Majesty’s day with a playful joke, Angela’s priority is to serve and support. Sharing never-before-seen photographs – many from Angela’s own private collection – and charming anecdotes of their time spent together, this revealing book provides memorable insights into what it’s like to work closely with The Queen, to curate her wardrobe and to discover a true and lasting connection along the way. ‘The 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 insight into the demands of the job of supporting the Monarch, and we gain privileged insight into a successful working relationship, characterised by humour, creativity, hard work, and a mutual commitment to service and duty. 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, Assistant Private Secretary to The Queen (2011–2018)

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COPYRIGHT (#ue832e795-7e58-5c72-bff5-6cb797b7edd4)

HarperCollinsPublishers

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London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk (http://www.harpercollins.co.uk)

First published by HarperCollinsPublishers 2019

FIRST EDITION

Text © Angela Kelly 2019

Cover layout design by Claire Ward © HarperCollinsPublishers 2019

Front jacket image is a composite of two photographs (© Nina Duncan) from the same series taken behind the scenes at a photoshoot by Chris Levine in 2003. Diamanté detail taken from a photograph of Her Majesty The Queen © Barry Jeffery. Back cover photograph supplied by the author.

A catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library

Angela Kelly asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

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Source ISBN: 9780008368364

Ebook Edition © October 2019 ISBN: 9780008368371

Version 2019-10-28

CONTENTS

COVER (#ud5f4fcbc-d7f7-5248-b842-edf01a08a365)

TITLE PAGE (#u4a873b03-4032-5bc9-a318-18eb6b8b5587)

COPYRIGHT (#u7fe67392-4d20-5ac9-bba0-7b7b99c1cc04)

DEDICATION (#u2d455632-c151-571d-b1ac-1086b5f2d776)

DEAR READER (#u576fb7a7-530a-5bd2-b4b5-b3ad24cc4ee1)

LETTER FROM SAMANTHA COHEN CVO (#u71a3fc33-a5a6-5b48-afb9-0cce05602f11)

FOREWORD BY STEWART PARVIN MVO (#uea32b232-ab7d-59fb-a0fe-ee8802e8610f)

PROLOGUE (#u8196bf35-b48d-5bfb-a6e7-f5eda83a73d5)

Chapter 1: Dressing The Queen (#u0255c2ba-7bc6-5c75-9cb8-4c9d97683fec)

Chapter 2: Our Working Year (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 3: The Eyes of the Nation (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 4: On the Move (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 5: The Eyes of the World (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 6: The Things We Do For Fun (#litres_trial_promo)

CONCLUSION (#litres_trial_promo)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS (#litres_trial_promo)

PICTURE CREDITS (#litres_trial_promo)

ABOUT THE PUBLISHER (#litres_trial_promo)

DEDICATION (#ue832e795-7e58-5c72-bff5-6cb797b7edd4)

Your Majesty,

With humble respect I would like to dedicate my second book to you for allowing me to write about our personal working relationship that has grown over many years, and allowing me to share the details of it and to describe how we have come together on a trusted personal level. I will always be truly grateful. I cherish the time you have allowed me to have with you and the friendship you have shown me.

With love and gratitude,

Angela x

I would also like to dedicate this book to my wonderful family: Frank and Nicola Wylie, Paul and Sarah Wylie, Michelle and Simon Anson, and to my very special grandchildren – James and Scarlett Anson, Alex and Jacob Wylie. You have shared the experiences and the journeys with me and you have inspired me all the way to write this book. I could not have done it without you. I thank you so much for all the love, support and advice you give to me and in return I give you all my love and more.

The lesson you all taught me was: never underestimate young minds.

I love you, Granny x x x x

A letter from Angela’s grandson Jacob Wylie

Growing up in Windsor was an immense experience. The sheer bliss, peace and quiet and nature all around you. I am truly grateful to have been able to grow up in a place with such elegance and beauty, all thanks to my granny’s amazing accomplishment. Not many people can say, ‘My granny works for The Queen.’ Every time the subject is brought up I can’t help but brag about my tremendous gran and how proud I am of her. Her triumphs only get bigger and it renders me speechless; the stories and experiences she tells me about her working days astonish me, I could listen for hours. Words don’t even come close to describing how proud I am of my granny!