When King Charles III is in the news these days, ahead of his coronation on May 6, the stories can range from charming gifts to controversial profits, to the guy’s love of winnin’ big on the ponies.
The pendulum keeps swinging wildly from positive to negative press coverage and back as the British monarchy has its first major shake-up in 70 years. A new report in the Daily Mail about a secret gift Charles gave a longtime member of the late Queen’s inner circle would certainly appear to be a very positive story. But a closer look does raise a few questions, which might lead the more pessimistic among us to feel a little less warm and fuzzy about it all.
This particular story involves Angela Kelly, the former dresser of the late Queen Elizabeth. Before her passing, Queen Elizabeth had reportedly promised Kelly, who resided in a cottage on the Windsor estate, accommodations for the remainder of Kelly’s life. However, after the Queen’s passing, “the dressmaker was asked to vacate her cottage on the Windsor estate.”
But according to the Daily Mail, Charles sought to rectify the situation, and hold true to his mother’s promise … to some extent, at least: “A source close to the Palace said that Ms. Kelly had been gifted a new home, believed to be near Guiseley in Yorkshire. It is thought that the King has bought the property, which will revert to the Crown on her death.”
Queen Elizabeth II sits with Anna Wintour, Caroline Rush (L), chief executive of the British Fashion Council (BFC) and royal dressmaker Angela Kelly (R) as they view Richard Quinn’s runway show before presenting him with the inaugural Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design as she visits London Fashion Week’s BFC Show Space on February 20, 2018
