Who is Angela Kelly? True story about the life of Queen’s ‘best friend’ as she moves in

Her family was Roman Catholic and it was her mother, Teresa Bradley, who taught her to sew.

Eventually she started making clothes for her dolls out of fabric and started a passion for fashion from a young age.

Kelly met the Queen for the first time in October 1992.

At the time, she was working as a housekeeper for the then British Ambassador to Germany, Sir Christopher Mallaby.

The Queen and Prince Philip visited the Ambassador’s home in Berlin as part of an official visit.

The story goes that the Queen asked Angela who the next guest would be and instead of sharing the information, she remained closed.

Months later, Kelly received a call offering her a job as the Queen’s dresser.

Kelly’s outspoken nature is believed to have helped her land the royal job.

Bethan Holt, author of The Queen: 70 Years of Majestic Style, told dem evening standard : “Angela doesn’t tolerate fools, and part of her attraction to the Queen is that she’s not afraid of her.”

Kelly has since worked for the Royal Family for almost 30 years and has become one of the Queen’s closest associates.

Her official title is Personal Assistant, Counselor and Curator to Her Majesty The Queen.

The role has afforded her unrivaled personal access to Britain’s longest-serving monarch through the ups and downs of her reign.

The relationship between the two is so strong that Kelly was part of Her Majesty’s inner circle known as ‘HMS Bubble’ when the Covid-19 pandemic hit.

Some of Kelly’s work will even be on display during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, when the outfits she has put together for the Queen over the past 28 years are presented to the public.

There will also be an exhibition of the Coronation Gown and Estate Robe, the garment worn by the Queen in processing from Westminster Abbey after the Coronation.

Kelly has been at the Queen’s side throughout many significant events in Her Majesty’s reign, but her own personal life has been tough.

She is a divorced mother of three whose children were raised by her father, Frank Wylie, due to Kelly’s role in the royal family.

Her marriage to her third husband, Irish Guardsman Jim Kelly, suffered as she began working for Her Majesty and was away from home for weeks on end for official visits.

However, Kelly’s devotion to the Queen and the royal household has not gone unnoticed.

She was made a member of the Royal Victorian Order in 2006 and in 2014 she was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Version of the Royal Household Long and Faithful Service Medal for 20 years of service to the Royal Family.

Apart from her work for the Queen, Kelly runs a fashion label which she co-founded with Alison Pordum, the Queen’s former in-house seamstress.

It is believed that the Queen’s relationship with Kelly became closer than ever following the death of Prince Philip.

This period was one of the most difficult in the Queen’s reign and her closest advisers played an important role in supporting Her Majesty during this time.

While many would struggle to have such a close and personal relationship with a figure as important as the Queen, Kelly has done her duty brilliantly for nearly three decades.