The Other Side of the Coin: The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe

Angela Kelly

Oct 2019 · HarperAudio · Narrated by Angela Kelly

About this audiobook

When Angela Kelly and The Queen are together, laughter echoes through the corridors of Buckingham Palace. Angela has worked with The Queen and walked the corridors of the Royal Household for twenty-five years, initially as Her Majesty’s Senior Dresser and then latterly as Her Majesty’s Personal Advisor, Curator, Wardrobe and In-house Designer. As the first person in history to hold this title, she shares a uniquely close working relationship with The Queen.

In The Other Side of the Coin, The Queen has personally given Angela her blessing to share their extraordinary bond with the world. Whether it’s preparing for a formal occasion or brightening Her Majesty’s day with a playful joke, Angela’s priority is to serve and support. Sharing charming anecdotes of their time spent together, this revealing book provides memorable insights into what it’s like to work closely with The Queen, to curate her wardrobe and to discover a true and lasting connection along the way.

‘The book documents the unique working relationship between Her Majesty The Queen and the woman who has been her Personal Assistant and Senior Dresser for more than two decades: Angela Kelly. It gives a rare insight into the demands of the job of supporting the Monarch, and we gain privileged insight into a successful working relationship, characterized by humor, creativity, hard work, and a mutual commitment to service and duty. Angela is a talented and inspiring woman, who has captured the highlights of her long career with The Queen for us all to share.’

–Samantha Cohen, Assistant Private Secretary to The Queen (2011–2018)

‘For the nearly seven decades of her reign, Her Majesty The Queen has used clothing to create a powerful visual identity that transcends fashion and has made her perhaps the most readily identifiable person on the planet. Angela Kelly, building on the work of the great designers and milliners who have worked with Her Majesty through the years – including couturiers Sir Norman Hartnell, Sir Hardy Amies, and Ian Thomas, and milliners such as Simone Mirman and Freddy Fox – brings her own imagination to bear on an iconic ‘uniform’ that suggests continuity and tradition, and ensures that the wearer is always the most visible person in a room or a crowd.’

–Anna Wintour, Vogue

Ratings and reviews

I purchased the audio book and have loved it from the beginning. I have just finished this wonderful book and for anyone who is keen in design, into art, co-ordinating colours has patience, (I could go on). This is a wonderful read and Angela relates in detail what it is like to dress Her Majesty. loved it. thank you to Angela, and more importantly to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth 2nd for giving permission for this book.

About the author

Angela Kelly lvo is Personal Advisor, Curator and Senior Dresser to Her Majesty The Queen (The Queen’s Jewellery, Insignias and Wardrobe), as well as In-house Designer. Angela started working in the Royal Household in 1994 as an Assistant Dresser and shares with you her unique perspective on her working life with Her Majesty The Queen.Angela is also the author of the successful book Dressing The Queen, which celebrated The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.