Queen Elizabeth may be a royal legend, but there are a few surprising relatable tidbits that have been coming to light in the past few weeks thanks to Angela Kelly’s book, The Other Side of the Coin: the Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe — the most recent one being that the British queen does her own makeup, just like Us!
According to the monarch’s long-time dresser, the queen does her own makeup every single day except for one special event: the yearly Christmas speech. “You might be surprised to know that this is the only occasion throughout the year when Her Majesty does not do her own makeup,” Kelly wrote.
She clarifies that for this annual event Queen Elizabeth hires makeup artist Marilyn Widdess to create her look prior to filming.
Though the book has yet to be released, small excerpts have been shared with publications little by little, teasing fans with interesting little anecdotes.
Just last week, Hello Magazine revealed a passage that confirmed the queen loves a good bargain. So much so, that the 51-year-old dressmaker once almost missed a flight home thanks to a good deal on fabric in Singapore.
“A few years ago, after Her Majesty’s Ladies-in-Waiting and I had collected our parcels of silk, I went to make the payment and the stall owners advised me that I could claim tax back on the purchase. The Queen is always keen to keep costs down, so off I went in search of someone who could help,” Kelly explained. However, just minutes later when Kelly was getting the tax back someone from the staff told her she had to run to the plane since it was leaving ASAP.
“Soon I was running across the tarmac, flying up the steps to the plane just in time,” she wrote. “I was so thrilled, I shouted over the plane’s engines a phrase I am sure the queen does not hear very often: ‘I’ve got your tax back!’ The look on the queen’s face was priceless as I handed her the tax refund.”
