A modern lady-in-waiting (or "Queen's Companion") is a close friend or trusted associate who acts as an informal companion and assistant to a senior female royal, like Queen Camilla or the Princess of Wales, offering support at official events and sometimes handling correspondence, but in a much more streamlined, less administrative way than historical roles, focusing on companionship rather than extensive duties or household management. These unpaid, honorary roles are less about rigid hierarchy and more about providing a familiar, trusted presence for a royal.
To put it simply, a lady in waiting is an attendant to a female member of the Royal Family and she is usually the wife or daughter of a peer but could just be a close friend or cousin of the royal she is attending. Her duties are to act as a companion and to help the Royal during her day-to-day duties.
Elizabeth's remaining ladies-in-waiting will stay on, helping Charles host events at Buckingham Palace. They will now be called “ladies of the household,” the Palace said. The new king reportedly wants to downsize the monarchy by reducing the size of its staff as well as the number of palaces and castles.
A lady-in-waiting (alternatively written lady in waiting) or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom she attended.
Modern ladies-in-waiting continue to exist in royal courts like that of the United Kingdom, acting as personal assistants and companions at official events. However, in 2022 Camilla, queen consort of the United Kingdom, announced that she would be using “queen's companies” instead of ladies-in-waiting.
Family Life
On 29 April 2011, Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton were married at Westminster Abbey. The couple are now known as The Prince and Princess of Wales, having formerly been known as The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
Yes I know that the Queen Elizabeth said in an episode of The Crown that she only ever loved Prince Phillip and Porchey was just a friend, but had she loved Porchey he would have been 100% a better husband the Phillip. They had so much mutual respect for each other and had so much in common.
Harrold added that he would describe Hussey as a "friend" to the Queen rather than an employee because she doesn't get a salary. Hussey's official title is Woman of the Bedchamber, a title given to ladies-in-waiting who are peeresses, the wife or widow of a peer (a man with an aristocratic title).
In the 'Ritz' episode, The Crown recreates a little-known real event when the princesses Elizabeth and Margaret, then aged just 19 and 14, 'escaped' the palace on VE Day 1945. They were granted permission by their father, King George VI, to join the crowds in London to celebrate (with chaperones).
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. In the official Court Circular they are styled "Lord in Waiting" or "Baroness in Waiting" (without hyphenation).
Prince George and his siblings call Queen Camilla "Gaga," a sweet nickname derived from the term her own grandchildren use, opting for a unique, affectionate name rather than a formal "Grandma" or "Nanny," according to royal reports.
Queen Camilla experienced a chest infection, later revealed to be a form of pneumonia, which forced her to cancel engagements in late 2024, leading to ongoing post-viral fatigue requiring rest and a modified schedule, though she has since recovered from the acute illness. She confirmed the pneumonia diagnosis during a state visit, managing indoor events but avoiding strenuous outdoor activities due to tiredness.
This tradition was scrapped in accordance with the King's view of having a slimmed-down monarchy, and instead of ladies-in-waiting, Queen Camilla is served by "Queen's companions", a group of six ladies who occupy the new occasional and informal position and who are not involved in tasks such as replying to letters or ...
They would also behave as a counsellor, confidant, and the person she would trust to make the best decisions for her own good. Do Ladies' Maids Still Exist? Yes, they still exist. Although the position has evolved over the years, the role is the same in essence: looking after the lady of the house.
ladies in waiting were/are married women who "attended" the queen, forming a parallel to the king's retinue of titled men.
Contrary to rumours over the years, Elizabeth and Philip were said by insiders to have had a strong relationship throughout their marriage, despite the challenges of Elizabeth's reign. Elizabeth referred to Philip in a speech on the occasion of her Diamond Jubilee in 2012 as her "constant strength and guide".
As you might expect, over the years the royal family has been wary of giving The Crown its approval. And, as each episode gets closer to the modern day, the stories that Morgan is depicting are increasingly likely to still be quite raw.
In truth, Elizabeth and Margaret did join the crowds and go to The Ritz on VE Day, when the former was 19 and the latter just 14. They were given permission by the King and Queen to do so, with the King explaining his decision to let them go in a diary entry: "Poor darlings, they have never had any fun yet."
Before King Charles became the monarch, he reportedly received a salary of $16.5 million during the 2022 to 2023 fiscal year. Now, most of his money comes from the Duchy of Lancaster. In 1996, he reportedly had to give a huge chunk of money ($22.5 million to be exact) to Princess Diana following their divorce.
The Queen's ladies in waiting did live dorm-style. They would live pretty close to the queen so they could quickly attend to her when needed. The lords of the court had their own rooms inside the palace when they attended court. Room assignments were handled by the chamberlain.
Heather Dubrow: This is kinda surprising, but apparently Heather “only” made $300,000 per season of The Real Housewives of Orange County.
While that innuendo had no basis in reality, The Crown's creators spun it into various invented scenes, imagining that Porchey made Prince Philip jealous.
The Queen attended the Earl's funeral, and remained a friend of his widow, Jeanie. As Lord Porchester, Carnarvon became an influential figure in British horseracing, establishing a reputation as a successful breeder at the Highclere Stud.
Porchey was 77 years old and died of a heart attack. Earlier that day he had been watching the coverage of the 9/11 attacks and reportedly became agitated. Several days later, Queen Elizabeth shared a statement about the devastation of the terror attacks in the US.