The extraordinary trump card of the late Queen’s dresser: Angela Kelly has a letter from Elizabeth II giving her express approval to publish THREE books, friends claim, after her “personal” and second memoirs “lead King Charles to insist insist she sign a non-disclosure agreement’
- Angela Kelly signed a non-disclosure agreement last week because she wanted to publish another book
- But she has told friends that the Queen has written her a letter of approval for this
- Sources speculate that the document could even take precedence over the NDA
The late Queen’s former dresser has an extraordinary trump card over King Charles as she tries to publish another royal book, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
Angela Kelly has told friends that the Queen wrote her a remarkable letter expressly authorizing the publication of three books. Only two have appeared so far.
The Mail on Sunday revealed last week that Ms Kelly, 65, has signed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with the King in exchange for a house of grace and favour, believed to be near the Peak District.
It was thought that the NDA — which prohibits Ms. Kelly from using the terms “palace” and “king,” although it is much broader than that — might thwart Ms. Kelly’s desire to publish another book.
Charles would feel that Kelly’s latest book strayed too far into personal details when she wrote of the Queen’s moment of private contemplation after Prince Philip’s funeral two years ago.
Angela Kelly signed a non-disclosure agreement last week because she wanted to publish another book
But the late queen’s dresser told friends that Elizabeth II wrote her a letter of approval to do so
Sources speculate that the Queen’s document could even take precedence over the NDA
King Charles agreed to buy Mrs. Kelly a house to live in which will fall into the hands of the Crown after her death
But sources close to Ms Kelly reveal today that the Liverpool docker’s daughter, who became one of Buckingham Palace’s most powerful courtiers, most importantly had written permission from the late Queen.
They speculate that the private document could even take precedence over the NDA.
A source said: ‘It is certainly a formidable weapon in her arsenal to have such a letter from Queen Elizabeth II in her possession. It’s quite a bit, because it seems she’s protecting her favorite assistant from beyond the grave. It’s quite important because it contains the Queen’s wishes, and no one would want to ignore them.’
The King agreed to buy Mrs. Kelly a house to live in which will fall into the hands of the Crown after her death. She previously owned a grace-and-favor home on the Windsor Estate.
She surprised some in the royal family by writing two books during the Queen’s lifetime. She published Dressing the Queen in 2012.
The Queen was so supportive of her writing that she attended the launch of Ms Kelly’s 2019 book, The Other Side Of The Coin: The Queen, The Dresser And The Wardrobe.
But the second edition, after Prince Philip died, angered Charles, who felt it was too intimate.
Friends have said Ms Kelly, who was nicknamed AK-47 at Buckingham Palace for what some saw as her abrasive approach, was considering giving lucrative lectures on cruise ships – a career move that could be affected by the NDA.