Queen Elizabeth
Angela Kelly’s new documentary on life with the Queen stirs Palace unease and reignites Harry’s tiara row Chris Gurney/Flickr

Angela Kelly, the late Queen Elizabeth II's longtime dresser and confidante, whom some palace staff believed 'could make or break your palace career', has reportedly agreed to take part in a scripted documentary about her decades of royal service, a project said to be causing unease among former colleagues inside Buckingham Palace.

According to the Mail on Sunday, the project is being controlled by London production company 53 Degrees Global, with Disney also involved. It is expected to combine interviews, archive material and possible dramatic reconstructions, although no release date has been publicly announced. Buckingham Palace, Kelly and 53 Degrees Global were approached for comment.

A former senior aide told the newspaper that people felt threatened by Kelly's influence, saying she 'could make or break your palace career'. A royal observer quoted by the Mail on Sunday added: 'I don't think the Palace has a leg to stand on if she wants to tell her story. If Harry and Meghan can break all the rules, why can't she?'

Behind the Queen's Wardrobe Doors

Kelly joined the Royal Household as an assistant dresser in 1994 and later became the Queen's personal assistant, adviser and curator, with responsibility for jewellery, insignia and wardrobe. She had unusually close access to the Queen, including during official engagements and private moments, over nearly three decades of service.

In the 2023 Demise Honours, Kelly was appointed a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in recognition of her service. She was also reportedly given permission to publish a third book, although that project was subsequently complicated by restrictions on what she could publish.

Kelly was among those at Balmoral during the Queen's final days before she died on 8 September 2022, aged 96. Marking the anniversary of the Queen's death, Kelly described her grief and recalled the years they spent working and laughing together.

Photographer and artist Rob Munday, who worked with the late monarch, has previously described the close rapport between Kelly and the Queen. In a 2026 interview with Vanity Fair, Kelly recalled an unexpected morning ritual with the monarch involving ABBA's 'Dancing Queen', after the Queen had been listening to Terry Wogan on Radio 2.

Tiara Row Back in the Spotlight

The prospect of a documentary has also revived scrutiny of a long-standing dispute between Kelly and the Duke of Sussex. In his 2023 memoir Spare, Prince Harry accused Kelly of being 'obstructive' over Meghan Markle's attempts to practise wearing the Queen's Diamond Bandeau tiara, which Meghan ultimately wore at their 2018 wedding. Kelly did not publicly address Harry's account in the immediate aftermath of the memoir's publication, according to reports at the time.

It remains unclear whether the documentary will address Harry's account of the tiara dispute. If the project proceeds, it could add another chapter to the debate over privacy and disclosure within the Royal Family, following Harry and Meghan's own departure from royal duties and subsequent memoir and documentary projects.

Buckingham Palace has not commented publicly on the reported documentary. Kelly, who retired from royal service after the Queen's death, has not previously spoken at length about her time in the household beyond her 2019 book The Other Side of the Coin and brief interviews marking royal anniversaries.

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