Angela Kelly: The woman who dressed late Queen Elizabeth II


Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II died at the age of 96 on Thursday, leaving behind an unforgettable royal legacy that of grace and style. We look back at the regal lady’s style and her dressmaker, who can be credited for most of Queen’s iconic looks over the last few years. Mary Angela Kelly, a British fashion designer, dressmaker, and milliner, served as Personal Assistant and Senior Dresser to Queen Elizabeth II since 2002. Her official title was that of a Personal Assistant, Adviser and Curator to Her Majesty The Queen and she took care of her majesty’s jewellery, insignias and wardrobe).

According to reports, she started working for the Queen after gaining employment as The Queen’s Dresser after a formal interview at Windsor Castle in 1994. Since her appointment, she became responsible for the Queen’s wardrobe. Her daily job was to research the venues prior to royal visits as well as the significance of different colours, in order to create appropriate outfits for the late monarch.

As per Express UK, Following her appointment as one of The Queen’s dressers in 1993, it took only a few years for the royal to recognise Kelly’s unique talents, promoting her to senior dresser just three years later, as reported by the publication. The dresser’s arrival at Buckingham Palace coincided with the death of Bobo MacDonald, who had been responsible for both dressing and styling The Queen since her youth.

Angela Kelly: The woman who dressed late Queen Elizabeth II
Kelly was said to be one of the closest aides of the Queen, in fact British dressmaker, got the rare opportunity to be be given permission to publish a book, titled The Other Side of the Coin: The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe, which not only covered regal fashion, but also Kelly’s professional and personal relationship with the monarch.

According to the Telegraph UK, Kelly’s role wasn’t solely entailed dressing The Queen for quite some time. Not only does her lengthy job description reflect The Queen’s increased reliance on Kelly to run her day-to-day life, but it also marked the appointment of the royal’s first ever personal assistant.

According to the UK publication, Kelly not only dressed The Queen, but has also designed a number of looks for the monarch. Having initially created garments with the aid of designer Alison Pordum, the pair uniting in 2002 to launch the label Kelly & Pordum, Kelly herself has been designing clothing for The Queen since the departure of Pordum from the dress team in 2009.