5 secrets of Queen Elizabeth II of England revealed by her dressmaker, Angela Kelly
The new book, whose full title in English is The Other Side of the Coin: The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe, was written by one of the closest assistants to Queen Elizabeth II of England and reveals some secrets of Her Majesty.
It's about Angela Kelly, who wrote a story "behind the scenes" about her years as an official dressmaker and friend of the monarch.
"The queen has personally given Angela her blessing to share her incomparable bond with the world," reads a promotional text about the post.
This week, the social magazine Hello! released some interesting excerpts from the book. Here we tell you some of them:
1. The queen has someone to try on her shoes
In her book, Kelly, who has been dressing the Queen since 2002, confirms that Elizabeth II has a royal assistant to try on her new shoes and that she is the "coward" who does it.
"The queen has very little time to herself and she doesn't have time to try on her own shoes, and since we wear the same size, it makes more sense this way," Kelly writes.
2. Elizabeth II chose the phrase she uttered with James Bond
Kelly says it took the queen just five minutes to accept the offer to appear in a sketch alongside Daniel Craig's James Bond, for the opening of the 2012 London Olympics.
"She was very amused by the idea and she immediately agreed. I then asked her if she would like to speak. Without hesitation, Her Majesty replied, 'Of course I must say something. After all, she will come to rescue me,'. "Kelly recalls.
"I asked her if she would like to say, 'Good afternoon, James' or 'Good evening, Mr. Bond,' and she chose the latter, knowing the Bond films. Within minutes, she was delivering the good news [to director Danny Boyle ] I think she almost fell out of her chair when I told her that the queen's only requirement was that she be able to utter that iconic 'Good evening Mr. Bond' phrase, "she says.
3. The Queen's Appearance at Royal Ascot
The queen's annual appearance at the Royal Ascot horse race outside London is an event that generates much excitement.
People make bets on the color of the hat the monarch will wear.
Kelly says that upon learning of such a bet, she met with the owner of the bookmaker, Paddy Power.
"We agreed that the bets on the color of the queen's hat had a closing time, to avoid any cheating," he reveals.
4. Greet Michelle Obama with a hug was a "natural instinct"
Reports that the queen "abandoned" royal protocol when she returned the embrace of former US first lady Michelle Obama in 2009 are far from reality, Kelly notes.
"Actually, it was a natural instinct for the queen to show affection and respect for another great woman, and there really is no protocol that needs to be adhered to," she wrote.
"When you feel caring ... it's really about human kindness and this is something the queen will always warmly welcome. Anyone close to her majesty is not a threat and is certainly trustworthy," he explains.
Michelle Obama wrote in her memoir, Becoming ("My story"), that the hug occurred when they both agreed that a long day in heels had left them with sore feet.
"(We were) two tired women oppressed by our shoes," he recalled.
5. The unusual secret behind the garment for royal baptisms
Kelly reveals how "strong" Yorkshire tea helped recreate a replica of the Honiton robe, the christening gown worn by the British monarchy since 1841, with the christening of Queen Victoria's eldest daughter, Princess Victoria.
The replica was first used in 2008 for the christening of James, Viscount Severn, son of Prince Edward and grandson of Elizabeth II.
"To make sure it looked authentic, we dyed it with Yorkshire tea (the strongest, as we all know)," Kelly wrote of the garment.
"We put each piece of lace in a small bowl, filled with cold water and a tea bag and left it for about five minutes, checking regularly until the color was perfect," he detailed.
