The late Queen’s right-hand woman, Angela Kelly, has been recognized by the King at a special awards ceremony marking the former monarch’s death.
But there was surprise in royal circles that the outspoken Liverpudlian, who was so close to Queen Elizabeth that he stepped in her shoes and was given the title of Her Majesty’s personal assistant, adviser and curator, did not earn a top honor. .
Miss Kelly was among many of the Queen’s longest-serving and closest aides to be recognized in a ‘Death’ honours’ list. So were hundreds of people who played important roles during her funeral.
They include members of the RAF flight crew who carried his coffin to London from Scotland, as well as military coffin bearers and those who organized his state funeral.
Instead of being made DCVO, Dame Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (RVO), like the Queen’s diary secretary Helen Cross, Miss Kelly has been promoted only to CVO or Commander.
The late Queen’s right-hand woman, Angela Kelly (right), has been recognized by the King at a special awards ceremony marking the former monarch’s death.
Royal Navy sailors take the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped in a royal banner and adorned with the imperial state crown
The move led one insider to wonder if “the score was being settled.” Many in the royal household were suspicious, and possibly jealous, of Miss Kelly’s control over the queen.
Last year, the Daily Mail revealed that days after her death in September, the locks on the late monarch’s apartments were even changed, leaving Miss Kelly, 65, the daughter of a dock worker, unable to gain access. , although he has retained his home at Windsor. patrimony at the request of her Majesty.
There are also concerns that Miss Kelly, nicknamed ‘AK-47’ for her fiery personality, has received permission from the late Queen to put out a book after her death and could go on the talk show circuit in the US. .
RVO membership is a gift from the King and is awarded independently of the Government to individuals who have served the monarch or the Royal Family in a personal capacity. The Demise Awards would have been decided by a committee of five senior officials and then “signed off” by the King.
The most distinguished honour, a Knight Grand Cross, has fallen to the Marquess of Cholmondeley, formerly the late Queen’s Lord High Chamberlain, and his former Lord Steward, the Earl of Dalhousie.
Former ladies-in-waiting Philippa de Pass and Jenny Gordon Lennox have also been made Dames of the Royal Victorian Order, while Lady Elizabeth Leeming and Susan Rhodes will be made Lieutenants.
The late monarch’s veteran Page Paul Whybrew, nicknamed ‘Tall Paul’ for his imposing stature, who starred with the Queen in her famous parody ‘Bond’ for the London 2012 Olympic Games, will be appointed Commander. The Queen’s loyal boyfriend Terry Pendry, who appeared with her horse Emma at her funeral, will also be named Commander.
Lady Susan Hussey, the Queen’s chief lady-in-waiting, who found herself at the center of a toxic run-in before Christmas, is not included in the list, but she already has the highest honors the monarchy can bestow.
The Queen’s pallbearers were awarded a Victorian Royal Medal for their service during the funeral
The eight pallbearers who carried the Queen’s coffin were awarded the silver Royal Victorian Medal in recognition of the important role they played at her funeral.
Spear Sergeant Alex Turner, Spear Corporal Tony Flynn, Spear Sergeant Elias Orlowski, Guard Fletcher Cox, Guard James Patterson, Guard Sergeant Ryan Griffiths, Guard Luke Simpson and Guard David Sanderson were selected to being Pallbearers of the King’s (then Queen’s) Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards.
The eight pallbearers who carried the Queen’s coffin have been awarded the silver Royal Victorian Medal in recognition of the important role they played at her funeral.
The soldiers were made recipients of the Royal Victorian Order (RVO) honors in recognition of their service to the Queen, as part of a special set of Demise awards.
Awards under the RVO are a gift from the King and are awarded independently of Downing Street to individuals who have served the monarch or the royal family in a personal capacity.
Soldiers carried the coffin draped in the Royal Standard as millions around the world watched the ceremony last September.
The unit had a close relationship with the Queen: as a serving monarch, she held the position of company commander and conducted a personal review of the company every decade.
The work of the eight pallbearers was highlighted during the broadcast of the Queen’s funeral, with viewers describing themselves as holding their breath as guards had to carry the coffin up the steps to the West Door of Queen’s Chapel. Saint George.
Former Tory minister Eddie Hughes said: “I held my breath at every step… These guys are amazing.”
Conservative MP Tom Hunt said at the time: “I cannot imagine how difficult and emotionally challenging it must have been to have carried Her Late Majesty’s coffin just once.”
They have done it over and over again this week. With billions watching. They have made His Late Majesty and the country proud.
Carla Lockhart, DUP MP for Upper Bann, said: “In the midst of the spectacle and the occasion, eight young men quietly did their duty.
”The weight of the world on their shoulders, the glare of the world on them, but they were flawless.
‘They took pride in themselves, their families and our country. Thank you.’
