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Queen Elizabeth may employ a royal dresser, but when it comes to makeup, she prefers to do it herself.
According to the 93-year-old monarch’s dressmaker, Angela Kelly, there is just one day a year that the Queen relies on someone else to do her makeup - for her annual Christmas speech.
“You might be surprised to know that this is this is the only occasion throughout the year when Her Majesty does not do her own makeup,” Kelly revealed in her new book The Other Side of the Coin: The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe .
For the occasion, which sees the Queen address the nation in a televised broadcast, she relies on TV makeup artist Marilyn Widdess to make her look her best, according to Kelly.
However, that doesn’t mean the Queen plays it safe when it comes to creating her own beauty looks. Known for embracing colour , Queen Elizabeth II typically adds red or pink lipstick to her variety of brightly coloured outfits.
The Queen uses a makeup artist just once a year (Getty)
In the book, Kelly, who has served as personal assistant and senior dresser to the Queen since 2002, also revealed other details about her job working for the monarch, such as the measures taken each year to stop royal insiders from cheating when it comes to betting on what the Queen will wear to Royal Ascot.
38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion momentsShow all 38 1 /3838 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments 38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Beaming in blue The Queen is pictured in an azure coat with a zig-zag buttoning detail as she attends the opening of the National Cyber Security Centre in London on 14 February 2017.
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38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Going bold for Easter The Queen leaves the Easter Sunday service at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on 5 April 2015, wearing a sky blue coat and matching hat.
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38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments All smiles in lilac Queen Elizabeth II was all smiles as she attended the Braemar Gathering on 3 September 2016, wearing a purple ensemble adorned with vertical and diagonal line detailing.
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38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Colourful Christmas Magenta was the colour of choice for the monarch on Christmas Day in 2014, as she attended the Christmas Day Service with the royal family at Sandringham Church.
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38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Bringing a burst of colour to the racecourse Among a sea of grey suits, the Queen stood out at the Royal Ascot on 17 June 2016, wearing a salmon pink coat and feathered hat.
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38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Royally radiant While Christmas is usually associated with red and green, in 2017 the Queen attended Christmas Day Church Service at the Church of St Mary Magdalene in an eye-catching shade of bright orange.
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38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Summer fashion done right Queen Elizabeth II fully embraced the arrival of summer on 23 May 2017, when she attended a garden party at Buckingham Palace in sunflower yellow.
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38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Regal elegance at its finest The monarch donned a very regal look while attending the State Opening of parliament at the Palace of Westminster on 25 May 2010, matching her crown with a gold patterned dress, pearl jewellery and a small gold handbag.
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38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Finding the silver lining The Queen is pictured in a silver, floral ensemble at the Serena Hotel in Kampala, Uganda, as she attended the Queen's Banquet for Commonwealth Heads of Government on 23 November 2007.
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38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments A queen from head to toe On 14 July 2000, Queen Elizabeth II wore her full regalia for the Service of the Order of St Michael and St George at St Paul's Cathedral.
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38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Green with delight The Queen appeared to be in high spirits as she attended the Braemar Gathering in Braemar, Scotland on 1 September 2007, donning an emerald green ensemble.
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38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Paying tribute to Ireland On 17 May 2011, Queen Elizabeth II became the first monarch to visit Dublin, Ireland since 1911. The Queen honoured the country by wearing a seafoam shade of green.
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38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Colour co-ordinating On 18 October 2014, the Queen attended the BQIPCO British Champions Day at the Ascot Racecourse, dressed in an outfit which combined dark blue with a lighter shade.
38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Regal purple The monarch donned the regal colour purple while making an appearance at the newly-opened James Armstrong Richardson International airport in Winnipeg, Canada on 3 July 2010.
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38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments A joyous, canine enounter Two of the Queen's apparent greatest interests are wearing colourful outfits and corgis. Her passions were combined on 1 May 2012, when she encountered a group of corgis at Sherborne Abbey in Sherborne, England dressed in a fuchsia ensemble.
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38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Never letting the rain dampen her spirits Over the years, the Queen has been spotted matching her umbrellas with her outfits on several occasions. On 10 May 2016, the monarch was photographed at a royal garden party at Buckingham Palace, pairing her bubblegum pink ensemble with a clear and pink umbrella.
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38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments A very merry Christmas Another day, another matching umbrella. The Queen opted for a red coat with fur trimming on Christmas Day in 2015.
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38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments A floral summer ensemble The Queen got into the spirit of summer during a visit to Winnipeg, Canada on 3 July 2010, wearing a pink and yellow patterned, floral dress and a bright pink hat. The appearance of several corgis at the event likely put her in high spirits.
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38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Subtle yet stylish While less colourful than the Queen's usual outfits, this ensemble was still a bold choice for the monarch as she visited the British Garden at Hanover Square in New York City on 6 July 2010.
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38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments A royal occasion In celebration of the Queen's 92nd birthday, the monarch attended a special performance at the Royal Albert Hall in her honour. The Queen wore a mid-length dress designed with a gold floral pattern.
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38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Multicoloured to the max On 24 May 2010, the Queen attended a VIP preview of the Chelsea Flower Show at Royal Hospital Chelsea. Her outfit seemed to match the flowers she was perusing, combining a multitude of vibrant colours.
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38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Minty fresh The Queen donned a shade of mint green as she attended the service of Holy Communion at the inauguration of the 7th General Synod of the Church of England on 14 November 2000.
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38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Positively periwinkle The Queen cut a chic figure as she left Westminster Abbey following a service to mark the centenary of Australia's constitution on 7 July 2000, wearing a sky blue overcoat and a dark blue hat.
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38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Royal blue A colour fit for a Queen, the monarch donned royal blue during a visit to the newly opened National Tennis Centre in Roehampton, London on 29 March 2007.
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38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments A colour fit for a queen The Queen's outfit colour choice was perfectly apt for the Commissioning Ceremony of HMS Queen Elizabeth on 7 December 2017. Her daughter Anne, Princess Royal, followed behind.
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38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Bold in red The Queen donned scarlet red as she welcomed the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al Thani, to her Windsor residence on 26 October 2010 during a state visit.
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38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments In pink at the polo Queen Elizabeth II was beaming in pink on 16 June 2013, pictured attending the Cartier Queen's Cup Final at Guards Polo Club in Egham, England.
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38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Portant rose en France A portrait of the Queen was taken during her third official visit to France on 11 June 1992. In the picture, the monarch wore grey gloves with a pink coat, hat and pearl jewellery.
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38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments A colourful celebration In celebration of the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on 29 April 2011, the Queen wore a shade of bright yellow to the nuptials.
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38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Dazzlingly bright On the final day of a four-day state visit to Germany on 26 June 2015, the Queen was pictured wearing a lemon yellow coat and matching hat.
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38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Never one to blend into the crowd While visiting the Lexicon shopping centre in Bracknell on 19 October 2018, the Queen opted for a vibrant shade of turquoise for her outfit.
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38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Grass green The monarch appeared to match the greenery of her surroundings as she arrived at the Epsom Festival at Epsom Downs racecourse on 4 June 2005.
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38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Taking florals to the next level During a visit to Nicosia, Cyprus on 19 October 1993, the Queen embraced florals to the nth degree, wearing a blue, three quarter length-sleeved patterned dress, a matching floral embellished hat and carrying a beautiful bouquet of flowers.
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38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Commanding the room Sat upon the golden Sovereign's Throne, the Queen delivered a speech at the State Opening of parliament in the House of Lords on 21 June 2017 wearing a bright blue coat and a yellow and blue patterned floral dress.
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38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Chic in burgundy The monarch opted for a burgundy look while attending the 2018 Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey on 12 March 2018.
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38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments Glittering in gold On 19 November 2012, the Queen attended the Royal Variety performance at the Royal Albert Hall in an ornate gold and silver striped wrap gown.
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38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments A poignant celebration Queen Elizabeth II combined Olympic blue and turquoise for the ensemble she chose to wear for the commemoration of the centenary of the RAF with on 10 July 2018.
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38 of the Queen's most colourful fashion moments An enduring love of colour The Queen has clearly always had an eye for bright colours. Here the monarch appears at Epsom Downs Racecourse in 1960, dressed in a canary yellow outfit.
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According to Kelly, every morning of the event, which spans five days every summer, four or five hats that the Queen has previously worn are placed on a table in the workroom at Windsor Castle .
The decoy hats are put in place to stop anyone from placing a bet from an unfair advantage on what colour the Queen will wear.
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“This will stop anyone catching sight of the hat Her Majesty actually intends to wear and, with inside knowledge, betting a vast amount of money on the correct colour of the Queen’s hat for opening day at Royal Ascot,” Kelly writes. “This is cheating and unfair on everyone else.”
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