The Queen has eight ladies in waiting: one Lady of the Bedchamber and seven Women of the Bedchamber. These positions are unpaid and personally selected by the Queen to be close companions, accompany her during state visits, and carry essential items like combs, gloves, and tissues.
The composition of the group of ladies-in-waiting attending to the queen varied based on politics and individual monarchs, including both the queen and the king. Records show that some queens had more than 100 ladies-in-waiting, but most had significantly smaller households.
The outlet noted that the six companions are Sarah Troughton; Fiona, the Marchioness of Lansdowne; Lady Katharine Brooke; Baroness Carlyn Chisholm; Lady Sarah Kewick; and Jane von Westenholz (fun fact: Jane is the mom of the lady who introduced Prince Harry and Meghan Markle!).
According to reports, Camilla is ditching the tradition and instead opting for six assistants who will be known as 'queen's companions' - modernising the role of women in the royal fold.
The role is not typically paid, and it has been reported that Lady Hussey was not given a salary during her time in the position, instead serving the Queen out of loyalty. The Queen had at least five ladies in waiting during her reign, including Lady Hussey.
The ladies in waiting did not live at the Royal residences on a permanent basis. However, if their duties required they would stay in Royal apartments in London or within Buckingham Palace to be near the Queen, The National reports. Ladies in waiting have been a part of Royal life since the 15th century.
There are three sources of funding for The Queen, or officials of the Royal Household acting on Her Majesty's behalf, in both a public and private capacity. These are: the Sovereign Grant, the Privy Purse and The Queen's personal wealth and income.
65) The Princess Royal has 11 Ladies-in-Waiting, one of whom accompanies her on official engagements. Two of them have worked for HRH for over 50 years, three for over forty years, and five of them for over thirty years.
Not many people know that Kate Middleton has her own lady-in-waiting who helps tend to the Duchess' every want and need.
A lady in waiting would be in charge of waking, dressing and accompanying a lady in her daily activities She helps a queen, a princess, or other noblewoman. A lady-in-waiting is often a noblewoman of a lower rank than the one she attends. She is not thought to be a servant.
The only other people at the Queen's bedside at the time were Charles's wife, Camilla, the queen's doctor, and Princess Anne, who had never left her mother's bedside, the book says.
In April 2023, 48 percent of the British people had a positive opinion of Camilla, Queen Consort while 39 percent reported a negative impression.
Instead of maids of honor, Camilla has two ladies in attendance. At Queen Elizabeth's coronation in 1953, she had maids of honor who assisted her throughout the ceremony. The six women carried her velvet train, and accompanied her throughout the day.
T he late Queen's loyal lady-in-waiting, Lady Susan Hussey, spent decades serving as one of Elizabeth II's closest confidantes.
Lords-in-waiting (male) or baronesses-in-waiting (female) are peers who hold office in the Royal Household of the sovereign of the United Kingdom.
Hussey was the queen's longest-serving lady-in-waiting and quite possibly her favorite, given that she held the title of “Woman of the Bedchamber,” which effectively means she was the queen's right-hand woman. The role is honorary and unpaid — and in modern times has little to do with the bedchamber.
Elizabeth disliked eating in public. Food would be sent to her privy chamber and the ladies would wait on her in privacy, carving the meat, and pouring the wine. A favoured one would also sleep in the Queen's bedchamber – to sleep alone was completely unheard of, even for a monarch.
After the death of Elizabeth II and the accession of Charles III, it was announced that the King would be retaining the late Queen's ladies-in-waiting, with their titles changing to "Ladies of the Household". They will help with hosting events at Buckingham Palace.
synonyms for lady-in-waiting
On this page you'll find 8 synonyms, antonyms, and words related to lady-in-waiting, such as: soubrette, abigail, lady of the bedchamber, lady's maid, maid-in-waiting, and waiting maid.
When Queen Camilla is coronated next to husband King Charles III this May 6, she will have two special women by her side. These ladies in attendance will be her sister, Annabel Elliot, and her longtime friend and current queen's companion Lady Lansdowne.
Mary Angela Kelly, CVO (born 4 November 1957) is a British fashion designer, dressmaker, and milliner, who served as Personal Assistant and Senior Dresser to Queen Elizabeth II from 1993 until the monarch's death in 2022.
Princess Anne is the Queen's second-born child, but she's below her two younger brothers in the line of succession because, as with Lady Louise above her, the 2013 Succession of the Crown Act doesn't apply retroactively.
Royal Inheritance
Representatives told Forbes in 2021 that Harry was not a beneficiary of any of the $100 million left to the royal family by his great-grandmother, the Queen Mother.
We do not pay the Queen any money for her upkeep or even for her duties as Queen of Australia. We do pay a salary to the Governor-General and pay for the upkeep for the official residences.
King Charles inherits not just the throne after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, but also her private fortune -- without having to pay inheritance tax.