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Secrets of the Queen’s Gloves

The Queen's glove maker hands out secrets.

A Jubilee wouldn’t be a Jubilee without plenty of royal waves, and a royal wave wouldn’t be a royal wave without the Queen performing it with a be-gloved hand.

In today’s Telegraph, a true piece of obsessive royal nerdery takes us inside the workshops of royal glove makers Cornelia James Ltd.

Among the amazing revelations by writer Sarah Rainey:

“During her 60 years on the throne, Queen Elizabeth II has shaken millions of hands. In 2010 alone, she had 444 engagements, averaging 100 handshakes a visit – or 44,400 in a year.”

“Once, Princess Anne returned a pair of navy blue gloves that had faded on the right hand. It turned out that she’d just visited a hot country where lots of ladies wear hand cream. The chemicals had rubbed off on her gloves.”

“The Queen likes classic gloves – she really only wears black and white. They’re usually the same style: cotton and nylon, washable, very simple and practical. Most of her gloves are about six inches long, or 'bracelet length’, and they make around 12 pairs a year."

"The Queen looks after her gloves – she doesn’t tend to leave them on buses like the rest of us.”

Diana, Princess of Wales wore the company’s gloves which, “helped cover up her bitten nails.”

More amazing royal glove pictures here.

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Tom SykesEuropean Editor at Large

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