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King Charles III forced Queen Elizabeth II’s most trusted aide to move out of the his family’s estate following his mother’s death, according to a book about the royals.
Journalist Valentine Low writes in an updated paperback edition of “Courtiers,” excerpted in the Times, that Angela Kelly believed she would be allowed to reside in a cottage in Windsor Home Park after her longtime pal passed away.
However, the Queen’s former personal assistant and close friend does not live in on the property per Charles’ instructions, the book alleges.
Kelly, 65, first began working for the Queen in 1994 as her dresser. She was responsible for the monarch’s clothes, jewelry and insignia.
Over time, however, her role expanded.
“During the late Queen’s last years, there was no one outside her immediate family who was closer to her than Angela Kelly,” Low writes.
“Her official title was Personal Assistant, Adviser and Curator to Her Majesty the Queen … but she was also her confidante, her friend and the person who looked after her more than anyone else; as Kelly would tell friends, she was effectively the Queen’s carer.”
When Elizabeth was still alive, Kelly had a room on the same floor as the Queen’s private apartments in the Augusta Tower.
Longtime staff members who work for the royal family are commonly gifted homes to live in the royal estate, a practice called “grace-and-favour” homes.
However, days after the Queen died, it became clear that Kelly — despite her loyalty to Her Royal Highness — would not be the recipient of this perk.
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“Negotiations ensued in which it was suggested that the King would buy her a home near Sheffield, [England], to be near her grandchildren,” writes Low.
The new home Charles, 74, bought for Kelly in Yorkshire, England, will be returned to the Crown upon the former assistant’s death.
“Angela wasn’t everybody’s cup of tea, but nevertheless the King had no wish to see her homeless,” a source told Low. “I get the impression that the King just didn’t want to be living next door to her.”
When the Queen died in September 2022, Kelly shared on social media that she was deeply affected by the loss.
The British designer wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of her at the Queen’s funeral at the time, “A very sad day for me today. I said goodbye to my best friend 🥲.”
Shortly before Charles’ coronation this past May, Kelly took to social media again, posting a picture of her garden on Instagram.
“Getting ready to say goodbye. I am moving at last to my new home which I will be able to call My Home at last,” she captioned the photo.
Despite her close relationship with the Queen, Kelly was a controversial figure in the palace.
She infamously got into a tiff with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ahead of the couple’s 2018 nuptials.
The Duke of Sussex claimed in his memoir, “Spare,” that Kelly tried to stop the Duchess of Sussex, 41, from wearing the tiara she initially chose from the Queen’s private collection.
Robert Lacey wrote in “Battle of the Brothers” that Harry, 38, flew into a rage when Kelly allegedly told the royal’s bride she could not borrow the tiara she wanted.
