The extraordinary asset held by 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 ‘led King Charles to insist that she sign an NDA”
- Angela Kelly signed an NDA last week as she wanted to publish another book
- But she told friends the Queen had written her a letter of approval to do so
- Sources speculate that the document may even take precedence over the NDA
The late Queen’s former chest of drawers holds an extraordinary trump card over King Charles as she seeks to publish another royal book, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
Angela Kelly has told friends the Queen wrote her a remarkable letter granting her express permission to publish three books. Only two have appeared so far.
The Mail on Sunday revealed last week that Ms Kelly, 65, had signed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with the King in exchange for a house of grace and favor, which is believed to be near the Peak District.
It was thought that the NDA – which forbids Ms Kelly from using the terms ‘Palace’ and ‘King’, despite being much broader than that – might have crushed Ms Kelly’s wish to publish another book.
Charles is understood to think Ms Kelly’s latest book strayed too far from personal details when she wrote about the Queen’s moment of private contemplation after Prince Philip’s funeral two years ago.
Angela Kelly signed an NDA last week as she wanted to publish another book
But the late Queen’s dresser told friends that Elizabeth II had written her a letter of approval to do so
Sources speculate that the Queen’s document may even take precedence over the NDA
King Charles has agreed to buy Ms Kelly a house to live in which will revert to the Crown when he dies
But sources close to Ms Kelly today reveal the Liverpool docker’s daughter, who became one of Buckingham Palace’s most powerful courtiers, was given a very important green light by the late Queen.
They speculate that the private document might even take precedence over the NDA.
A source said: ‘It is certainly a formidable weapon in one’s arsenal to have a letter like that from Queen Elizabeth II in one’s possession. It’s something because it seems that she protects her favorite assistant from beyond the grave. It’s quite important because it includes the queen’s wishes, and no one would want to ignore them.
The King has agreed to buy Mrs Kelly a house to live in which will revert to the Crown upon her death. She previously had a House of Grace and Favor on the Windsor Estate.
She surprised some royals 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 Ms Kelly’s 2019 book launch, The Other Side of the Coin: The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe.
But the second edition, after the death of Prince Philip, angered Charles, who deemed it too intimate.
Friends said Ms Kelly, nicknamed AK-47 at Buckingham Palace because of what some saw as her abrasive approach, was considering giving lucrative talks on cruise liners – a career move that could be affected by the NDA.
