Queen Elizabeth’s bra fitter loses royal warrant after publishing tell-all book
Queen Elizabeth’s bra fitter has lost its royal warrant after its director wrote a memoir that mentioned her encounters with the royal family. Rigby & Peller was stripped off of the right to display the royal coat of arms in 2017 after former owner June Kenton wrote a few lines about the royals in “Storm in a D-cup.”
Last week, Rigby wept as she told the Associated Press how much she regretted mentioning a few royal names in her book, including the late Queen Mother and Princess Margaret, as well as Princess Diana and her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. She was unaware that she should not have released information on her private meetings with them. And as consequence, the company’s royal warrant was revoked.
“There’s nothing in there that makes you think, ‘Oh! That’s naughty,’” she told AP. She said she never thought that writing the book would lead to the company losing its royal warrant as it had had it for so long. “I am completely and utterly heartbroken. I apologise for anything I might have done or said in the book. It was totally unintentional. I just think the world of them.”
She admitted she failed to send a copy of the book to the Buckingham Palace before it was published. She sent one after it was published. She then received a letter from Lord Chamberlain, saying that the lingerie shop would lose its royal warrant.
In her book, Kenton wrote about what she gave Princess Diana for her sons. “I never met Diana’s boys, but I used to give her lingerie and swimwear posters for them to put up in their studies at Eton.”
She also said the Queen Mother told her how she dealt with her younger daughter. “Shall I tell you what I do?” the Queen Mother allegedly said. “I pretend to listen to Margaret and then, once she has gone, I order what I want.”
She did not give any detail about her first meeting with Queen Elizabeth, but she noted that Her Majesty turned on the lights for herself. The Queen’s corgis were also often present during her underwear fittings.
Kenton, 82, and her husband bought Rigby & Peller in 1982 but sold her stake to Belgian company Van de Velde in 2011. She remained on the company’s board as a director. The brand was founded in London by female corsetieres Bertha Rigby and Gita Peller in 1939.
Rigby & Peller was given the royal licence in 1960. It has confirmed Kenton’s account that it lost its right to display the royal coat of arms following the publication of Kenton’s book. “Rigby & Peller is deeply saddened by this decision and is not able to elaborate further on the cancellation out of respect for Her Majesty the Queen and the Royal Warrant Holders Association,” it was quoted by People as saying in a statement.
The Buckingham Palace declined to comment.
A royal warrant of appointment is a mark of recognition for those who supply goods or services to the Royal household for at least five years. Rigby & Peller had the Royal warrant as corsetiere to the Queen. There are currently around 800 holders of a royal warrant. They are allowed to display the relevant royal arms in their business.
