Queen Elizabeth IIs fiercest protector, who earned the nickname “AK-47,” would “take a bullet” for the monarch, royal experts claimed. This devotion later put her on a collision course with Meghan Markle during the infamous “Tiaragate.”
“Angela Kelly was the real deal, a friend who would take a bullet for the queen,” British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard told Fox News Digital. “And its telling. Palace insiders called her AK-47 after the assault rifle because people felt threatened by her. She was influential enough to take people out of Buckingham Palace.”
Its been said that the late queens devoted dresser was no-nonsense, especially when it came to royal protocol.
“Meghan Markle was on a collision course as she wasnt adhering to longstanding traditions, which ruffled many feathers among many staff members,” British royals expert Hilary Fordwich claimed to Fox News Digital. “Angela was loyal to proper protocol and was the enforcer of such. Her dedication and duration of service meant she ended up shaping the presentation of the monarchy and was a gatekeeper regarding access.”
“Her influence really impacted optics,” Fordwich added.
Fordwich and Chards statements came after Kelly, the queens longtime assistant, advisor and curator, gave a rare interview to Vanity Fair correspondent and royal author Katie Nicholl.
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Kelly laid bare her close friendship with Britains longest-reigning monarch, who would have turned 100 on April 21, and how, during their decades-long friendship, she managed the queens wardrobe, including her iconic, colorful outfits.
Kelly also oversaw the queens collection of jewelry and ceremonial items, a responsibility that reportedly placed her at the center of a heated dispute with dubbed “Tiaragate.”
Nicholl wrote that ahead of her wedding to Harry in 2018, presented with a selection of tiaras for the occasion. Although the former American actress was drawn to an emerald piece, Nicholl noted it was ultimately deemed unsuitable for her big day.
“While Meghan was happy with the Queen Mary Diamond Bandeau that the queen had offered her instead, tensions arose again when Meghan was told by Kelly that she was not allowed to use the tiara for a trying-on session with her hairdresser ahead of the wedding day, reportedly causing Harry to erupt at Kelly,” wrote Nicholl.
A palace source told Nicholl that the queen refused to let the tiara leave the palace two weeks before the wedding.
“[Angela] often took a bullet for the queen, but this time Harry really went for [her],” a source claimed to Nicholl. “Harry was giving Angela hell.”
Royal expert Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital that Kelly wasnt afraid to face anyone who challenged her. But that also reportedly put her in direct conflict with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
“With the nickname AK-47, she guarded the sacred values of the queens collection, including the precious jewels, clothes and hats,” he explained.
“She guarded these areas with a renowned intensity, making her the queens fashion bodyguard. There were many rumors surrounding how the royal household never tried to oppose or impose any strategies on her. She was regarded as the feminine equivalent of a Rottweiler, with a bite if she was questioned.”
However, nothing prepared Kelly to reportedly go toe-to-toe with the bosss grandson, who was just as protective of his future wife. A palace source told Nicholl that she “was very much caught in the middle.”
“At one point, [Harry] said, Let me tell you, I don
