No matter how wealthy the royal family is, a new report revealed Queen Elizabeth II is only using a cheap liquid substance to clean her jewelry. Her Majesty's longtime dresser and personal assistant, Angela Kelly, revealed they are only cleaning the queen's diamonds with gin.
Sure, Queen Elizabeth has an extensive collection of royal jewelry. It is arguably priceless, but her stuff is only using a low-key substance to keep it sparkling.
In her book, The Other Side of the Coin: The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe, Angela Kelly revealed the secret of how they maintain Queen Elizabeth's jewelry be sparkling clean. "A little gin and water come in handy to give the diamonds extra sparkle -- just don't tell the jeweler!" she said, via People.
Another trick that they do is they mix a drop of washing-up liquid to water that helps to get rid of hairspray stains when polishing diamonds and tiaras. They usually do this practice every before formal occasions' that Queen Elizabeth has to attend, like the Stage Opening of Parliament.
However, she decided not to wear the historical and heavy Imperial State Crown at the event and opted for State Diadem instead. The iconic crown, which has 2,868 diamonds, was placed on a red cushion on her side of the throne to be visibly seen by everyone.
Angela Kelly assured that the monarch's most valuable jewelry is professionally well-taken care of. It is inspected and sterilized by specialists. Her personal jeweler gives the stones a deep clean if need be, and what they do is just a quick polish to keep it sparkling.
Aside from cleaning Queen Elizabeth's most precious stones, Angela Kelly is also the one who gets the leader of the Commonwealth ready for formal events. She lays out her belongings on a tray, like jewels and diadem, per Cosmopolitan.
Angela Kelly's new book is approved by Queen Elizabeth herself. It has a regal stamp of approval if there is such a thing. She started working for the royal family since 1994.
In her 25 years of service, she already has the official title of Personal Advisor, Curator, and In-House Designer. She specializes in Queen Elizabeth's jewelry, emblems, and wardrobe. So, part of the job is to look after her clothing and to pull her looks together.
Fans can expect to see a lot of fun facts about the royal and other tips, like using a teabag to dye the replica royal christening gown. She only dunked each piece of lace in a small bowl filled with cold water and Yorkshire tea, and then its color would change.
