Good Housekeeping UK

As we close this issue of Good Housekeeping, the country is building up to the momentous and historic Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty The Queen, and I know (from your many emails and letters) that you’re really looking forward to celebrating. There’s a feeling of universal admiration for our Monarch and her remarkable and unparalleled commitment to public service. So I think we all want to thank her by marking this landmark moment in a very special way. One of my early memories is of the Silver Jubilee – being at primary school and writing to The Queen to congratulate her on her 25 years on the throne. We made red, white and blue bunting for the playground for our Jubilee party – all bringing in dishes to share and playing…

COMPILED BY: MEDINA AZALDIN, DAISY BENDALL, GEORGIE D’ARCY COLES, AMANDA MARCANTONIO, ALICE SHIELDS…

The Queen is a style icon, famous for her brightly coloured outfits and glittering gowns. For 28 years, the woman behind many of those outfits has been Angela Kelly, her Personal Advisor and In-house Designer. To mark the Platinum Jubilee, Angela gives an insight into dressing the most photographed woman in the world ‘Never in my wildest dreams had I thought I would be looking after members of the Royal Household. My role was to ensure that Her Majesty’s personal staff were comfortable, equipped and had a good working environment. I remember being introduced to each member of the Royal staff: The Queen’s Page; The Duke’s Valet; the Travelling Yeoman; and Miss Peggy Hoath, Her Majesty’s Senior Dresser. Over the course of the next four days, I spent quite a bit of…

‘I arrange a meeting with The Queen to go through my design ideas, suggested outfits and material choices. It usually takes no longer than an hour, and once we’ve come to an agreement, the outfits are made swiftly. Two fittings are then arranged to ensure that each garment fits Her Majesty perfectly. The Queen’s shoes are mostly handmade – and usually with no more than a two-inch heel, although for uneven surfaces or grass, she will wear shoes with a lower heel. Her Majesty tends to use cream, white or black for her shoes as one pair will match, and be worn with, many different outfits. As has been reported a lot in the press, a “flunky” wears in Her Majesty’s shoes to ensure that they are comfortable and that she is…

‘There are few occasions on which Her Majesty will agree to break protocol, but in 2011, when film director Danny Boyle approached the Royal Household, he made a request that we simply could not refuse. Danny wanted to ask Her Majesty to feature in a short film as part of his Olympics opening ceremony. She was to be greeted by James Bond, played by Daniel Craig, in the Palace and seemingly escorted to a helicopter. Mr Bond was there to rescue her from an unknown threat that jeopardised her safe arrival on time at an undisclosed event. Once safely aboard, the helicopter would fly over the Houses of Parliament, receive a salute from Churchill’s statue in Parliament Square, then pass beneath Tower Bridge and swing north to the Olympic Stadium…

‘From March 2020 onwards, I washed The Queen’s hair every week, set and styled it, and even trimmed it when needed. My team named it Kelly’s Salon. It’s funny because, at the beginning, The Queen knew I was nervous, and during the first two weeks, I was shaking. I had only done her hair once or twice before while on board the Royal Yacht Britannia. The Queen was so kind and she advised me on the very specific way to put the rollers in. As I grew in confidence, I’m sure The Queen thought I was a professional and started shouting at me, “Don’t do that, do it this way. That’s right, you’ve got it, don’t change it.” I was thinking, goodness me, I need a gin and tonic. So…