And while Queen Elizabeth had a whole fleet of ladies-in-waiting throughout her reign—many of whom had been close with her for more than 60 years—apparently Queen Camilla is ditching the outdated tradition and instead having six assistants who will be known as “queen's companions,” according to reports from Today.
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.
The job of lady-in-waiting to a queen, reigning or consort, dates back to the Middle Ages when ladies helped the queen with such tasks as bathing and dressing.
One is Annabel Elliott, the Queen's sister, and the other is Lady Lansdowne (also known as Fiona Mary Petty-Fitzmaurice, Marchioness of Lansdowne), both of whom perform the royal role of a Queen's Companion.
Ladies-in-waiting were usually women from the most privileged backgrounds who took the position for the prestige of associating with royalty, or for the enhanced marriage prospects available to those who spent time at court, but lady's companions usually took up their occupation because they needed to earn a living and ...
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).
In the Royal Household of the United Kingdom the term Woman of the Bedchamber is used to describe a woman (usually a daughter of a peer) attending either a queen regnant or queen consort, in the role of lady-in-waiting.
Ladies in waiting are not paid a salary but performed their honoured role out of personal loyalty to the Queen, Hello! Reports . Traditionally ladies in waiting are noblewomen in their own right and come from wealthy aristocratic families, meaning they are able to take the unpaid role as a lifelong position.
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.
This belief meant that only those of elevated status should engage in physical contact and close relationships with a monarch. Thus, ladies-in-waiting became women of noble birth. In addition, they were required to be married.
King Charles and Queen Camilla are undoubtedly very much in love, with public appearances always seeing them laughing and joking together, but reports say the couple does not share a bed. There's no trouble in paradise, though. It's customary for royal couples to sleep in different bedrooms.
There are no obligatory codes of behaviour when meeting The Queen or a member of the Royal Family, but many people wish to observe the traditional forms. For men this is a neck bow (from the head only) whilst women do a small curtsy. Other people prefer simply to shake hands in the usual way.
As the Queen Consort, Camilla is no longer required to curtsey to other members of the royal family but when she travels abroad she must curtsey to monarchs around the world. As a sign of respect, the Queen Consort must always walk behind her husband King Charles.
A lady in waiting is a woman attending a female member of the Royal Family, and is usually responsible for accompanying them on public engagements and helping them complete tasks.
Following the death of the King, is believed that Camilla would retain her official title of Queen Consort. However, Camilla will not be Queen Regent (the head of state), but rather continue in her duty to the new head of state, as she is not named in the royal line of succession.
In 2018, the Duchy of Cornwall made Charles and Camilla $28 million. Camilla and Charles also received $1.8 million that year from the Sovereign Grant, a taxpayer fund paid each year to the British royal family, as well as another $627,000 from various United Kingdom departments.
Despite not being King and Queen juuuuust yet, Kate and William have a huge staff thanks to their position as senior working royals—though unlike King Charles, their aides are not "men in gray" (the nickname given to the power players pulling the strings at The Firm).
And while Queen Elizabeth had a whole fleet of ladies-in-waiting throughout her reign—many of whom had been close with her for more than 60 years—apparently Queen Camilla is ditching the outdated tradition and instead having six assistants who will be known as “queen's companions,” according to reports from Today.
What jobs do staff do in the royal household? King Charles has 28 members of household staff, including four chefs, five house managers, three valets and dressers, and a couple of butlers.
They should act, speak, and dress according to the prestige the title deserves. Applicants for Lady-In-Waiting contestants must be female, between the ages of 15 and 18 years old.
The ladies-in-waiting have historically been chosen by the queen herself from the noblewomen of the Catholic Noble Houses of Belgium. The chief functions at court were undertaken by members of the higher nobility, involving much contact with the royal ladies.
Angela worked with Her late Majesty for almost 30 years. Share this: Angela Kelly is preparing to say goodbye to her Windsor home as she calls time on her living there following the passing of the Queen last year. Angela and Her late Majesty were very close, with Angela believed to be one of her best friends.
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.
In 2015 The Princess Royal became one of the first female honorary members of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrew's. 65) The Princess Royal has 11 Ladies-in-Waiting, one of whom accompanies her on official engagements.
Angela Kelly, who has worked for the Queen since 1994 and has served as her personal assistant and senior dresser for over two decades, was spotted among the many famous mourners honoring the Queen.