Tributes poured in over the weekend as the world honored the memory of Queen Elizabeth II, two years after her passing.
The late Queen died peacefully at the age of 96 at her Scottish residence, Balmoral, on September 8, 2022.
© GettyOne of the most heartfelt tributes came from her former personal dresser, Angela Kelly, who shared that each anniversary will forever "break my heart" as she touched on the late monarch's final moments in Balmoral.
In a poignant statement, shared on Instagram Stories, the 66-year-old wrote: "It has been two long 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."
Reflecting on their close bond, she added: "I have waited all day to write this and fought back the tears. I will always look back over our years remembering the fun we had working, laughing together. I thought our friendship would last forever.
"Every night I say goodnight to you in my prayers. I served you with love and loyalty of which you deserved. Please keep looking down on me with a nod and a smile, we can still laugh although we haven't done in a while."
Ending her message, Kelly said: "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."
© GettyAngela and Queen Elizabeth were very close, with the dressmaker believed to be one of her best friends. The royal fashion designer first began working for the Queen in 1994 before becoming her Personal Assistant and Senior Dresser in 2002.
The pair's close relationship was evident when the Queen made Angela a Commander of the Victorian Order in her Demise Honours List.
While other honours are often created by the government of the day, appointees to the Royal Victorian Order are entirely a gift of the monarch and are made independently from the government.
© GettyAngela also became the Queen's go-to choice for day and evening wear – sometimes using material which was given to her when she was still Princess Elizabeth.
The dresser is said to have brought a sense of glamour to the head of state in her later years. Angela once said: "The Queen loves clothes and is a real expert on fabrics. It's not been a question of me teaching the Queen – it's been the other way round."
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