Prince Harry and King Charles have found common ground in their shared dislike of a royal aide, according to an insider.
Angela Kelly, dresser to Queen Elizabeth II, became a controversial figure in Prince Harry’s 2023 memoir Spare, where he described her as a "troublemaker."
One incident involved the late Queen offering Meghan Markle the pick of her tiara collection ahead of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s wedding.
Harry said Kelly became "obstructive" when it came to delivering the chosen headwear and accused her of being "skilled at planting stories."
Prince Harry and King Charles unite in rare agreement over Royal Family aide
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Kelly has never directly responded to these claims. Despite clashing with Harry, she was close to the Queen and worked with her for the last 20 years of her life.
After the Queen died in 2022, reports suggested Kelly had been allowed to remain in her grace-and-favour home on the Windsor Estate. However, a well-connected royal writer subsequently said she was "swiftly evicted."
An insider told the Mail there was "final confirmation" of Kelly's "banishment" after she was excluded from an upcoming major Buckingham Palace exhibition showcasing the late Queen’s clothes.
The event, planned for next year to mark the 100th anniversary of the Queen’s birth, promises to be the "largest and most comprehensive exhibition of the late Queen’s fashion ever mounted."
Angela Kelly was a close confidante to Queen Elizabeth II and worked as the late-monarch’s dresser | PAYet, despite Kelly’s role as the Queen’s stylist in her final two decades, she will not be involved.
Instead, King Charles has chosen Caroline de Guitaut, Surveyor of the King’s Works of Art since 2023, to oversee the exhibition, even though she lacks experience in the fashion world.
Sources claim Charles "isn't a fan" of Kelly, a sentiment he shares with his younger son.
The snub comes amid tentative peace talks between Charles and Harry and is likely to be welcomed by the Sussex household.
Queen Elizabeth II and Angela Kelly pictured with Anna Wintour in 2018
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Prince Harry wrote a tell-all memoir called Spare in January 2023. | PAReflecting on the tiara incident, Harry recalled that he and Meghan had an "extraordinary morning" with the Queen and left the Palace "feeling awed and loved and grateful."
But when it came to receiving the tiara, Harry said Kelly became "obstructive." He chose not to raise the issue with the Queen, explaining: "That would probably mean sparking an all-out confrontation, and I wasn't quite sure with whom granny would side."
He added: "To my mind Angela was a troublemaker, and I didn't need her as an enemy. Above all, she was still in possession of that tiara. She held all the cards."
Eventually, Kelly turned up unannounced at Kensington Palace with the heirloom. Although she handed it over, an argument broke out. Harry wrote: "She fixed me with a look that made me shiver. I could read in her face a clear warning. This isn't over."