Angela Kelly’s close relationship with the late Queen Elizabeth II reportedly stirred disapproval among palace aides, who viewed Kelly, the Queen’s dresser, as merely a “servant,” according to reports.

A former senior aide disclosed to Vanity Fair that within Buckingham Palace, there was a sentiment that Kelly’s friendship with the monarch “crossed a line.”

In her first comprehensive interview since the Queen passed away on September 8, 2022, at the age of 96, Kelly, now 68, reflected on her cherished memories with the Queen, whom she served for nearly three decades.

Despite their deep bond, some courtiers reportedly viewed Kelly, a Liverpudlian and the daughter of a docker and seamstress, as an outsider. Resentment brewed over her prominent position as a trusted member of the Queen’s “inner circle.”

Kelly even earned the nickname “AK 47,” likened to the assault rifle, because others felt intimidated by her perceived power to “remove” individuals from Buckingham Palace.

“Private secretaries often found themselves at odds with Angela—she wielded the power to shape or end palace careers, owing to her close relationship with the Queen,” the source revealed.

Indeed, the Queen sided with Ms Kelly after Prince Harry allegedly reduced her ‘to tears’ in the wake of the scandal dubbed ‘Tiaragate’ – although the Duke of Sussex presented a different version of events in his memoir Spare. 

Ahead of his wedding in 2018, Prince Harry’s to-be bride Meghan Markle had her ‘heart set’ on wearing an emerald tiara  – but unanswered questions about its provenance made the crown jewel an unsuitable choice. 

Angela Kelly’s close friendship with the late Queen was frowned upon by Palace aides who felt the royal dresser was ‘technically a servant’, it has been claimed

In her first wide-ranging interview since the Queen’s death, Ms Kelly, now 68, opened up about her most treasured memories with Elizabeth II during the nearly 30 years she worked for her

Instead, Elizabeth offered her the Queen Mary Diamond Bandeau, which the Suits actress allegedly happily accepted. 

However, tensions rose when Ms Kelly declined to give Meghan the tiara for a trial appointment with her hairdresser, as a palace source said Harry ‘was giving Angela hell’. 

They added: ‘Angela was very much caught in the middle. She often took a bullet for the Queen, but this time Harry really went for Angela.’ 

Prince Harry allegedly told Ms Kelly: ‘Let me tell you I don’t agree with you talking to my grandmother about this.’

When a teary Ms Kelly went to Elizabeth, the monarch is believed to have said: ‘He can’t have it. I’ll deal with him. We’re having enough trouble with this wedding.’ 

In his memoir Spare, the Duke contradicted the suggestion that the Queen was opposed to Meghan borrowing the tiara, adding that his grandmother actually advised her to try it on with her hairstylist. 

But Harry claimed that when he tried to contact Ms Kelly later to get hold of the tiara for the practice session, she did not respond. 

When he finally tracked her down, Ms Kelly told him that taking the tiara out of the Palace for an appointment with Meghan’s hairdresser ‘can’t be done’ because it would require an orderly and a police officer to guard it.

The Queen sided with Ms Kelly after Prince Harry allegedly reduced her ‘to tears’ in the wake of the scandal dubbed ‘Tiaragate’, in the lead up to his wedding to Meghan Markle 

Harry – who admitted his exasperation – said Ms Kelly eventually ‘appeared out of thin air’ at Kensington Palace to make him sign a release form before handing over the tiara.

He wrote: ‘She fixed me with a look that made me shiver. I could read in her face a clear warning. This isn’t over.’

The Duke also claimed ‘Angela was a troublemaker’ in the controversial book and considered going directly to the Queen about the tiara, but their friendship left him unsure about ‘whom Granny would side’ with. 

In his new book, royal biographer Robert Hardman has now revealed that the Queen sided with Ms Kelly and told Palace insiders the tiara was ‘not a toy’. 

Writing in his landmark new book Elizabeth II, being serialised exclusively by The Daily Mail, Mr Hardman said: ‘She even recalled that, ahead of the 2011 royal wedding, Catherine Middleton’s hairdresser had practised using a plastic tiara from the accessory chain, Claire’s. 

‘Why could Meghan and her hairdresser not do the same? She told Kelly to ignore the phone calls,’ he reported. 

Ms Kelly quickly climbed the Palace ranks after first landing a job as an Assistant Dresser in 1994 to become one of Elizabeth’s most loyal aides. 

In a moving tribute to her ‘best friend’, Ms Kelly revealed the Queen was a ‘really cool granny’, who couldn’t stop moving from ‘side to side’ whenever ABBA’s hit Dancing Queen played on the radio. 

‘I’d get carried away and be dancing all round her like I was at a disco, and the Queen would tell me to “move over” because I can’t sing and we laughed,’ Ms Kelly told Vanity Fair.

‘They were moments to cherish, to see the queen so relaxed.’

While the Queen was deeply committed to her duty and country, she also loved her role as a ‘grandmother’, Ms Kelly added.

She added that Her Majesty wasn’t above ‘washing the dishes’ during the royal family’s idyllic summer holidays at Balmoral Castle, and always laughed if her husband, Prince Phillip, ‘burned the burgers’ while barbecuing.

Ms Kelly said: ‘She did barbecues and fun things and she always washed the dishes, even when she was entertaining the Prime Minister.

‘If the Duke, or whoever was cooking, burned the burgers, she’d just laugh. The queen was just full of energy and a really cool granny, to be honest.’

Ms Kelly, who was by the Queen’s side when she died in 2022, was known as a bubbly and hard-working royal aide who kept the late Queen’s style relevant and even added a touch of bling.

Elizabeth valued the opinion of her personal assistant and gradually over the years gave her free rein when helping her create a look for an event.

Despite the late monarch’s advancing years, she had been prepared to embellish her style – under Ms Kelly’s direction – as a nod to modern times.

A pair of 3D glasses worn by the Queen during a film demonstration in Canada in 2010 were given a touch of glamour by Ms Kelly – Swarovski crystals forming the letter Q on their sides.

During lockdown, when the Queen isolated with a small group from her household dubbed ‘HMS Bubble’, Ms Kelly was thought to have been part of the team.

In a moving tribute to her ‘best friend’, Ms Kelly revealed the Queen was a ‘really cool granny’. Pictured here with Vogue’s Anna Wintour (centre) during London Fashion Week in 2018

She once disclosed in an interview: ‘We are two typical women. We discuss clothes, make-up, jewellery.’

In addition to their love of fashion, Ms Kelly said they also shared a sense of humour and ‘had great banter between us’ during her interview with Vanity Fair.

Ms Kelly, who now lives in Sheffield, ended the interview on a bittersweet note as she said Elizabeth was ‘my best friend and I miss her every day’.

In March 2023, Ms Kelly was made a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (RVO) in recognition of her service to the Queen, as part of a special set of ‘Demise’ awards.

Awards under the RVO are in the King’s gift and are bestowed independently of Downing Street to people who have served the monarch or the royal family in a personal way.

The following month, it was revealed that the King had secretly gifted Ms Kelly a new home to honour a promise made by his mother.

Ms Kelly was promised lifelong accommodation by the Queen – but within months of Her Majesty’s death, the dressmaker was asked to vacate her cottage on the Windsor estate.

In September 2024, Ms Kelly paid a moving tribute to Elizabeth II while revealing she told her ‘I love you’ and ‘kissed her goodbye’ before her death.

Two years on from the Queen’s death, Ms Kelly said each anniversary will forever ‘break my heart’.

Ms Kelly also revealed she was still unsure why she told Her Majesty she loved her in her final moments.

In a poignant statement on Instagram Stories, she said: ‘It has been a long two years since I kissed you goodbye. I told you that I loved you, and I still don’t know why.

‘That, although the first year I tried to move on, but I wouldn’t. The second year I tried to heal but I couldn’t. Maybe tomorrow will be a new start for me, although every anniversary will still break my heart.’

Finishing the heartfelt message, Ms Kelly wrote: ‘Patience is a virtue you passed down to me. I have waited and now I can see. You sent a guardian angel to help me through. You sent your strength down to me. My time has come and now I am free.’