Queen's close friend given honour in late monarch's Demise Honours
The Demise Honours of the late Queen have been issued and one of Her Majesty's closest friends, Angela Kelly, has been honoured.
Angela served as the Queen's Personal Advisor and Senior Dresser for more than two decades, and she has been made Commander of the Victorian Order. Speaking exclusively to HELLO! last year following the Queen's passing, artist Rob Munday revealed that the pair shared an "unbelievable" rapport with one another.
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"The rapport between Angela Kelly and the Queen was unbelievable and you could just see the connection they had with each other," he recalled. "The Queen just totally trusted Angela to do whatever."
He explained that because of their connection, the pair were able to make "each other laugh" even if they hadn't exchanged jokes.
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Two others were made Commander of the Victorian Order; Paul Whybrew, who was the Queen's Page of the Backstairs, and Terry Pendry, who stood with the late monarch's beloved horse Emma as her funeral procession passed by.
Two of the Queen's ladies-in-waiting, Susan Rhodes and Lady Elizabeth Denning have been made Lieutenants of the Victorian Order, while Philippa de Pass and Jennifer Gordon Lennox have been made Dame Commanders of the Victorian Order.
Angela and the late Queen were close
One of the Queen's other pages, Paul Mitford, has also been made a Lieutenant of the Victorian Order.
Other honourees in the list include the pallbearers of her coffin, alongside military and government personnel who helped with the planning and undertaking of the Queen's State Funeral.
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Demise Honours have only been released teince before, in 2021, following the death of Prince Philip and in 2002 following the deaths of the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret.
The Honours are typically given to members of staff who had worked closely with the deceased, as well as those who were involved with their funerals.
While other honours are often created by the government of the day, appointees to the Royal Victorian Order are entirely in the gift of the monarch, and are made independently from the government.
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