When a leading fashion bible recently included the Queen among a list of the world's most glamorous women, it was a particularly proud day for one Buckingham Palace assistant.
Personal dresser Angela Kelly has been credited with steering the monarch toward a sleeker image, featuring a subtle colour scheme and elegantly tailored garments.
In the process the Liverpuddlian aide, who has worked for the royal family for 14 years, has forged a remarkably close relationship with the monarch.
Mistress and servant are, according to Angela, "two typical women" who enjoy discussing clothes, make-up and jewellery. "The Queen loves clothes and is a real expert on fabrics," says her personal assistant in an interview-approved by the Palace.
The 55-year-old reveals the sovereign has a "wicked sense of humour", with an uncanny ability to mimic most accents, including Angela's own scouse brogue.
And the Queen is said to feel at ease in the company of her dresser, with the two women often heard laughing together. "I think we're a good team," the sovereign recently told her.
Such is the Queen's confidence in Angela she has been allowed to start the first ever in-house Palace couture service, Kelly Pordum. The royal aide comes up with the designs for outfits, which are then made by her business partner, Alison Pordum.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
