King Charles Was ‘Horrified’ by What Queen Elizabeth’s Aide Put in a Book About the Late Monarch, Expert Says
Following Queen Elizabeth II’s death, her eldest son became King Charles III. The new monarch is said to be more focused than ever now on protecting the legacy and reputation of his late mother and the Crown. Now there’s a report that one of the queen’s top aides is writing a book about working for her and that has the king worried because he was “horrified” by what was included in an earlier book by the same person.
Here’s who Queen Elizabeth granted special permission to write a series of books about her and what was included in the previous book that Charles has such a problem with.
Angela Kelly was one of Queen Elizabeth’s most-trusted aides
Angela Kelly was Queen Elizabeth’s Personal Assistant and Senior Dresser as well as one of her closest confidants.
Before she was hired to work for the late monarch, Kelly was a housekeeper for Sir Christopher Mallaby who was once the British Ambassador to Germany. The queen and Prince Philip met Kelly in the ’90s during a royal visit to Mallaby’s home and she was offered a job at Buckingham Palace when she returned to London the following year.
“I suppose the queen must have liked me and decided I was trustworthy and discreet,” Kelly previously told the Telegraph about being hired.
In 2002, she was promoted and began working alongside Queen Elizabeth almost every day and formed a tight relationship with her employer. Kelly was also part of the “HMS Bubble” during the first coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown.
King Charles ‘dismayed’ and ‘horrified’ with book’s contents
The queen and Kelly were so close that the monarch gave Kelly special permission to write a series of books. Two were already published and another is said to be in the works. But Charles wasn’t happy with some photographs Kelly shared in one of the previously published books and is reportedly concerned about what the new one will include.
In a column for the Daily Mail editor-at-large Richard Kay wrote: “Charles was dismayed when Miss Kelly, now a 70-year-old grandmother, was unusually granted permission to author a series of books about her life with the queen, which were billed as providing a unique insight into the ‘true and lasting connection’ between the two women.
“Although the books were confined to Angela’s area of expertise — namely the queen’s wardrobe … and were largely innocuous, Charles was horrified by some of the informal photographs that were used to illustrate them, including one in which the queen was seated on a chaise longue with her feet up.”
Kelly likely won’t have a household role following the queen’s death
After the queen died, around two dozen members of the royal household staff were told their jobs could be at risk. And around 100 workers at Clarence House were told the same.
For Kelly, there doesn’t appear to be a specified role she would have now following the queen’s passing especially since Charles’ wife Camilla Parker Bowles, now Queen Consort, already has her own dresser whom she inherited from the Queen Mother.
Kelly will however be able to maintain her residence at Windsor no matter what. That’s because the queen is said to have approved a deal for Kelly to stay in her home close to the castle for the rest of her life if she chooses as a reward for her many years as the monarch’s right-hand woman.
