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Exclusive: Inside the Queen's friendship with dresser and 'closest confidante' Angela Kelly

The ladies shared a similar sense of humour

queen angela kelly
Sophie Hamilton
Parenting Editor
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Two of Queen Elizabeth II's portrait artists have spoken exclusively to HELLO! about the late monarch's close relationship with her personal dresser Angela Kelly, who worked for the Queen for two decades.

MORE: The Queen behind closed doors - intimate stories from her portrait artists

Here, holographer Rob Munday and royal sculptor Frances Segelman, whose portraits of the Queen are currently on show at London's Quantus gallery in the exhibition Majesty: A Tribute to the Queen, share their stories of the ladies' unique friendship.

WATCH: A tribute to Queen Elizabeth II

Rob created the first-ever holographic image of the Queen and told us about the friendship between the monarch and Angela during his time spent at Buckingham Palace.

"The rapport between Angela Kelly and the Queen was unbelievable and you could just see the connection they had with each other," recalls Rob. "The Queen just totally trusted Angela to do whatever."

MORE: The Queen was style icon in knee-high boots - amazing unearthed photo

READ: The special way the Queen's memory will be honoured - and it's so touching

angela kelly

The late Queen's personal dresser, Angela Kelly

He continues: "Angela was this lovely, lovely lady, really down to earth with this strong Liverpool accent, which you don't really expect to hear necessarily in Buckingham Palace. Just this fantastic banter between the two. It put you really at ease."

Rob reveals that Angela was great at amusing the late monarch during the sittings. We ask how?

"It wasn't like a particular joke or anything like that, they just had this way of making each other laugh," he explains.

rob munday

Holographer Rob Munday and his portrait of the Queen   Photo credit: Dave Benett | Getty 

Royal sculptor Frances Segelman also spent time with Elizabeth II and her dresser, telling us of the "tremendous relationship between them."

Frances remembers: "I met her [Angela] before I did the sitting because she was there to help me, to tell me what to do and to choose the tiara and the jewellery. Then she was in the room each time at the beginning, and she was chatting to the Queen. The Queen felt very comfortable with her."

queen angela kelly fashion show

Angela Kelly (far right) accompanied the Queen to London Fashion Week in 2018

She recalls: "The Queen's secretary was there as well. I was measuring her with these callipers, and I was going backwards and forwards with these big callipers – they had to check I didn't do anything terrible to her!

"Halfway through he left the room and said, 'We're going to leave you on your own now'. I thought, 'Oh my god, no! What are we going to do?!' I had a terrible panic in my body and then I just thought, right, this is it. I stopped driving myself mad with these callipers and tried to do a bit of sculpture while listening to her.

"Angela said, 'Frances, I'm here and we'll chat a bit, then I'll leave you on your own. You tell me if you want anything.' For the third sitting, I was on my own with her the whole time."

queen sculpture

Royal sculptor Frances Segelman   Photo credit: Dave Benett | Getty 

"But Angela and [the Queen], it was like you talking to your best friend. That's what it was like between them; she was her closest confidante."

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