In those early years at Buckingham Palace, I remember feeling very aware that some people might look down on me. I was, after all, from Liverpool and had a Scouse accent, not to mention that I was divorced with three children, and possibly not the ideal candidate to be working for The Queen. Even though I knew Her Majesty had particularly requested me after her visit to the British Ambassador’s Residence in Berlin, I thought other people might not understand why I was chosen: they might think I did not belong, and I wanted to be able to hold my own.
I’ve always wanted to speak nicely. I’m not sure I can say why. It’s not because I want to improve myself, just that I’ve always admired people who speak clearly. I don’t have a strong Liverpudlian accent, but it is there. I had wanted elocution lessons since I was eight years old, and I remember asking the Ambassador in Berlin whether I could take them. He offered me a pay rise and a promotion instead, but I refused as I didn’t want money all I wanted was to feel more at ease with how I presented myself to others – especially now among members of the Royal Household.
Needless to say, when I first started working with The Queen, I became even more aware of how I sounded. Listening to and speaking with Her Majesty, I would think, how wonderful to be able to speak so nicely, and after a few months of working with her, I plucked up the courage to ask if she knew anyone who might give me the elocution lessons I’d wanted for so long. The look on The Queen’s face was a picture. She simply asked, ‘Why?’ After I had explained, she said that it was not necessary and that she’d heard about my plan – the Ambassador had told her. I asked again and again, but she still refused. After much back and forth, Her Majesty eventually told me to go upstairs and talk to the Duchess of Grafton about it.
I ran up straight away, and found the Duchess waiting for me in the corridor. ‘Your Grace, I was wondering if you could put me in contact with anyone you know who could give me elocution lessons,’ I said.
The Duchess started laughing and I realised The Queen had called her in the time it had taken me to run up the stairs. ‘Look, Angela,’ she said, ‘if you speak slowly, it means you speak clearly. Just keep The Queen laughing – that’s all I ask of you.’ But that still wasn’t enough for me.
Later that day, I went back to see The Queen and mentioned that I’d spoken to the Duchess. ‘Oh, and what did she say?’ she asked. I repeated the advice I’d been given and Her Majesty seemed content. ‘Well, there you go,’ she said.
‘But that’s not an elocution lesson,’ I responded, then told Her Majesty my new idea: ‘You can give me elocution lessons! You can tell me what I say that’s correct and what I say that isn’t.’
The Queen could probably sense that I wasn’t going to give up, so she instructed me to say one word: ‘furious’. ‘Fyer-ri-ous,’ I responded.
‘No, fee-or-ree-ous,’ said Her Majesty, in perfect received pronunciation. After several more attempts, I finally cracked it and Her Majesty exclaimed, ‘Yes!’ and her finger went up in the air, followed shortly by, ‘Not sick as a parrot’. And that was it – my one and only elocution lesson, and from The Queen herself. From then on, I listened and tried my best to speak properly – even adding an aitch to words where it didn’t exist – but in the end I gave up: it was just too much effort. Ever since I’ve stuck to being myself, a girl from Liverpool and a proud Liverpudlian, too.
In The Splash with the dogs in Windsor Home Park in 1998.
LET ME TAKE
YOU AMONG THE
NIGHT STARS
In August 1994, four months after I had started working for The Queen, it was time for my first trip to Balmoral. Needless to say, I was very excited whenever one of these ‘firsts’ came around: my first visit to Windsor, my first trip on the Royal Train, my first Trooping the Colour. But I was particularly looking forward to seeing Balmoral Castle, where the Royal Family take their holiday each year. I was intrigued to see whether Her Majesty would have time to relax – to me, it seemed that she never stopped working.
On our first night, I remember gazing up at the night sky and noticing how brightly the stars shone out from the darkness. I’d always loved star-gazing and I find it a very calming experience. I vividly recall thinking how lucky I was to be standing in the majestic grounds of that historic building. A few days later, I relayed this to Her Majesty, with whom I now felt quite comfortable to enjoy some casual chat, and told her how much I loved gazing at the stars. It turned out that The Queen shared this passion and we looked out of the window into the darkness together. She pointed out the various constellations – the Plough, Ursa Major and Cassiopeia – and I mentioned that I had brought a telescope with me, a present from my family for my fortieth birthday. Her Majesty suggested that as it was a very clear, cold night, I should wrap up, go outside, and stand in front of the Castle shortly before midnight for the best view. I pointed out that the police probably wouldn’t appreciate me setting off all the alarms in the middle of the night, so instead, I asked if I could take a car to drive up to the Glenshee – one of the Highlands’ highest peaks. The Queen thought I was crazy and was reluctant to let me drive there alone, so she asked one of her duty protection officers to escort me.
Equipped with my telescope, its stand, binoculars, and a flask of coffee, my slightly begrudging escort and I made our way into the night. On top of Glenshee, the view was breathtaking. With the headlights turned off and the protection officer freezing in the car, I started scanning the sky and admiring the stars and constellations. It was the very first time I ever saw the Milky Way and I remember feeling quite emotional. Eventually I was persuaded by the officer to return to the Castle, but I had my head through the sun roof throughout the journey back, wielding my binoculars, reluctant to say goodbye to the stars. The next morning, I was full of excitement. I rushed up to Her Majesty and could not stop talking about how wonderful the experience had been. She must have thought, thank goodness it will be a while before she does that again. But every time I return to Balmoral, before I go to sleep, I open my bedroom window and gaze at the sky for several minutes. It always reminds me of that conversation with Her Majesty when I discovered a shared passion and the fact that, because of her thoughtful gesture, I saw the Milky Way for the first time.
Taking a walk in Balmoral grounds in 1998 – note the high heels!
Beauty within the castle grounds.
The Queen at a State Banquet in 2011.
LEADING LADIES
As I began to settle into life in the Palace, I knew it was important to start standing my ground and fighting my corner. When I was asked to do something, I did it efficiently and thoroughly, but I soon became aware that I was also ruffling feathers.
Back then, the Royal Household was very male dominated. It had long been a place where traditions were upheld and routines were followed. On one occasion, I remember being told that only after twelve years as a staff member would I be allowed to have an opinion. Needless to say, I was not happy with this – I would only ever act in Her Majesty’s best interests and yet I often felt patronised and belittled.
As I began to get to know Her Majesty, I could not help but reflect on her role as a female monarch. I thought too of Queen Victoria, who ascended the throne at the very young age of eighteen, and the responsibility she bore. Victoria ruled alongside governments where all their members were men, and although Her Majesty’s reign has seen a greater female presence politically, she must also have felt the same pressure to prove herself as a young, recently