‘Ninja nun’ is daughter of Quaker

The ‘ninja nun’ who sat next to the world-famous William and Kate at their marriage in Westminster Abbey last week has been revealed to be the daughter of a Quaker… by the Daily Mail.

Annaliese Brogden, 52, rose to brief worldwide fame after appearing at the royal marriage on 29/04/2011 wearing trainers (as well as her regular habit) and sitting next to the the wealthy couple. That she was wearing trainers led to speculation that she was a ‘ninja nun’, employed to protect the royal couple during the wedding.

However, the Daily Mail has now revealed that Annaliese is indeed a nun, from the Community of Sisters of the Church, who wears trainers because they are comfortable footwear. It turned out that she works at Westminster Abbey as part of her nunning duties.

These startling facts were revealed in the newspaper in quotes from Annaliese’s father, 80-year-old Geoffrey Brogden from Needham Market.

The Daily Mail’s story reveals that Geoffrey is a retired social worker and he is quoted as saying: “I have spoken to her since the wedding and she is quite embarrassed about all the fuss being made. She certainly had a bit of a giggle when she saw people were referring to her as the Ninja Nun. I have had a laugh about it as well. She wore the trainers for comfort and always has. It has all caused great amusement here and at the convent. In fact, I was more shocked to see the prime minister’s wife not wearing a hat. The fact is that she was just sitting in her normal seat in the Abbey. I think she probably does have some more dressy shoes for events at her convent but she just didn’t wear them at the wedding. I’m very proud. I don’t think any of us envisioned it happening. Our family are actually very interesting religiously. I am a Quaker, my wife who died 17-years-ago was a Methodist, Annaliese is Anglican and my other daughter is Roman Catholic and living in America.”

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