**

Like many, my entire life has unfolded with Queen Elizabeth as Queen. I was not, and am not a Royalist, nor am I ,or was I, a Republican. I certainly wished her no ill. Thus I came to this production to be persuaded. A profound moment came when I attended the Grand Theatre  Wolverhampton on the Tuesday after her death and the music to “God save the Queen” was played. The entire audience stood and  sang “God save the King”. Something had changed- irrevocably. It was quite a moment

We are placed in the hands of English novelist, TV producer and screenwriter Daisy Goodwin for this her  debut stage play for its debut run.

Anyone seeking Piers Morgan salaciousness, or Earl Spencer tittle tattle will be disappointed. This is a light affectionate look at Her Majesty through the prism of her wardrobe.

Set in the inner sanctum of HM Queen Elizabeth II’s Buckingham Palace suite, By Royal Appointment offers an intimate insight into the late Queen’s life outside of the public gaze, opening her wardrobe  to the whens, whys and wherefores of the outfits she wore for various occasions from the 1960s until her death in 2022 and turning the spotlight on the close relationship forged between her and her dresser: a largely invisible force to be reckoned with, and possibly the most influential courtier of the late Queen’s court. A glimpse into the holiest of holys.

 The Queen’s long standing dress designer Hardy Amies isn’t called Hardy Amies here, and her milliner isn’t called Freddie Fox either. They are simply billed as The Designer and The Milliner respectively, the Queen’s Dresser is simply billed as just that too.  Yet her identity is well known- Angela Kelly Personal Assistant, aka Gigi, Adviser and Curator to Her Majesty The Queen, Jewellery, Insignias and Wardrobe who, for almost 30 years, oversaw every detail of everything The Queen wore and, in the Queen’s latter years her dressmaker too.

Punctuating a narrative relayed through a series of vignettes that whisk us from the 1960s to The Queen’s final engagement welcoming the then Prime Minister-elect Liz Truss to her Balmoral estate is  Gráinne Dromgoole  ( Laura Matthews) — as the curator of a forthcoming multi-media exhibition of the Queen’s clothes. We  learn it  will be produced “ABBA Voyage style” (Ironically Mama Mia was playing in the adjacent Concert hall), doubling-up as the play’s narrator — she gives context to the relevance of the Queen’s wardrobe choices as the story is told.

Who was in power when she dazzled in daffodil yellow for the very first time? Which Wham! single topped the charts when she wore the  pink coat? How much had the price of milk risen to in the UK when she wore orange silk chiffon for a state visit to Bahrain? And could she ever upstage her infamous sister-in-law Mrs Simpson? (Yes, actually) the script answers all those questions for you, whether you did, or didn’t want or need to know.

None of the wardrobe choices  were random,  —, maximum visibility to cameras and  crowds, comfort and tradition were always paramount ,  from style of hat to choice of footwear with length of hem falling in between the two… and, always including the handbag.

The problem is that Goodwin’s script is not merely light- it is lightweight. The epherema only serve to undermine the gravitas of the production. Back projected video could have been used both to showcase the real outfits and the respective periods, they were not- presumably to save money. Jonathan Fensom’s simple, set is palatial but unostentatious with mood lighting on curtains echoing colour choices.

Asher is an assured Queen, yet is occasionally apparently uncertain of her lines but depicts the years of the Queen’s advancing decrepitude well and sensitively

Prickly, trustworthy and protective the  native Wiganner, long-term Dresser, companion, confidante and anchor, is the reliable pivot of the show.

As The Designer and The Milliner respectively, David Robb and Mathew Cottle are a pleasant enough comic double act, but the badinage is as limp as their wrists. One almost risque joke about Dickie Mountbatten, a few duds about Harry and Andrew, and that is your lot. Goodwin tries to emulate the wry humour of Yes Minister, but fails dismally.

Poignant, thoughtful and elegant, By Royal Appointment is an imposing facade behind which lies very little.

Running time: Act 1: 55 minutes, 20 minute interval, Act 2: 1 hour.