Former royal dressmaker Maureen Rose has revealed that the late Queen Elizabeth II was not above a charity shop bargain. Ms Rose, who fitted the monarch for over 30 years, including for her Golden Jubilee in 2002, shared the Queen's sharp sense of humour and down-to-earth nature.
Charity shop handbag and royal jokes
Ms Rose recounted how she once found the sovereign a handbag to match a gold dress from a charity shop. After taking the upcycled accessory to the Palace, the Queen was amused at learning its provenance. 'When I told the Queen where it had come from, she just laughed and said, "Well at least I am doing my bit!"' the dressmaker said.
The now-retired dressmaker, now 89 and at 5 ft 1 inch three inches shorter than the Queen, recalled the monarch often cracked jokes during fittings. 'She would joke, "Be careful you don't swallow them",' Ms Rose said, referring to the pins she held in her mouth.
Warmth and family moments
Ms Rose also remembered the Queen returning 'giddy' after a phone call with her eldest grandson, Prince William, who had asked for Marmite sandwiches for dinner. She added that fitting sessions were often interrupted by visits from the King, then heir apparent, and Princess Anne. 'They were every bit as warm with each other as any other family', she recalled.
'It makes me cross when the Queen is portrayed as austere because she was one of the warmest and funniest people I ever met,' Ms Rose said. 'Of all my customers over the years, she was the very best. She was so easy to work with and down to earth and always thanked you for your work.'
Career and royal commissions
Ms Rose's career began in the 1950s making underwear for wealthy women. She was headhunted by couturier Norman Hartnell after he spotted an evening gown she had created at a London nightclub. 'I thought it was a prank when I discovered he was trying to track me down,' she said.
After working for Mr Hartnell for nine years until his death in 1979, Ms Rose came to the attention of Buckingham Palace while working for his protégé, Ian Thomas. Her first royal commission was four long evening skirts and blouses for the Queen with fabrics gifted by the King of Thailand. Following Mr Thomas's death in 1993, Ms Rose continued to make clothes for the Queen, with the pair creating the monarch's wardrobe between them.
Ms Rose created the cream and gold coat the Queen wore when she opened Parliament after Tony Blair's landslide victory in May 1997, as well as a white and silver embroidered dress for the Golden Jubilee. She helped simplify the Queen's garments by suggesting she try dresses without belts ahead of a state visit to Russia in October 1994.
Retirement and legacy
On her retirement in 2003, Ms Rose received a gift from the Queen: a photograph of herself with European heads at Windsor Castle wearing another creation, an ivory gown. The accompanying letter read: 'The Queen is most grateful to you for all the work you have done for her and much appreciates the loyalty and support you have given her over the years.'
Since retiring, Ms Rose has turned to making dresses for her dolls, which are expected to fetch hundreds of pounds at auction. Hansons Auctioneers' head of fine dolls, Janet Rawnsley, said: 'Maureen is an incredible seamstress, and the clothes she made for some of her collection of dolls are every bit as intricate as her finest work reserved for the late Queen.' The collection goes under the hammer at Bishton Hall in Stafford on October 20.
