T he late Queen's loyal lady-in-waiting, Lady Susan Hussey, spent decades serving as one of Elizabeth II's closest confidantes.
Lady Susan Hussey has been a pivotal figure in the royal family for decades, serving as one of Queen's Elizabeth II's lady-in-waiting for more than 60 years.
The ladies in waiting were considered the unsung members of the late Queen's household and were personally chosen by the monarch.
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.
The late Queen's lady in waiting has resigned and apologised after she made “unacceptable and deeply regrettable comments” by asking a prominent black advocate for survivors of domestic abuse where she “really came from”.
In Britain, ladies-in-waiting are titled noblewomen who serve not only the queen, but also high-ranking women in the royal household. Kate Middleton has one, while the queen's sister Princess Margaret had many.
Queen Elizabeth II maintained an establishment of at least four Women of the Bedchamber, one of whom at a time was usually in attendance, until her death in 2022.
Thus, ladies-in-waiting became women of noble birth. In addition, they were required to be married. The office of maid-of-honour also emerged during this time, and it was held by unmarried women.
And as to putting one's clothes on, contrary to popular belief the Queen actually dressed alone. The monarch also did her own make-up for most events, with the exception of her annual Christmas speech, for which a make-up artist was employed.
Ladies-in-waiting were appointed because of their social status as members of the nobility, on the recommendation of court officials, or other prominent citizens, and because they were expected to be supporters of the royal family due to their own family relationships.
Interestingly, Lady Susan's daughter, Lady Katherine Brooke, has been appointed as one of Camilla's "Queen's Companions".
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her reign—many of whom had been close with her for more than 60 years—apparently, Queen Camilla is ditching the outdated tradition and is instead having six assistants who will be known as “Queen's companions,” according to reports from Today.
The late Queen Elizabeth's ladies-in-waiting will remain part of the royal household, and will now be called "ladies of the household," according to the Palace. They will help King Charles host events at Buckingham Palace.
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.
Who was Elizabeth 1 best friend? Katherine Astley (née Champernowne; circa 1502 – 18 July 1565), also known as Kat Astley, was the first close friend, governess, and Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth I of England.
Exclusive: Inside the Queen's friendship with dresser and 'closest confidante' Angela Kelly.
Clothing that was of less historical significance is likely set to be given to family members — and her granddaughters and great-granddaughters could be in for a windfall. “Items from the Queen's personal collection would have been passed to her family members with each chosen personally by Her Majesty.
The “lion's share” of Queen's extensive jewelry collection, according to The Daily Express, will be given to Kate, the new Princess of Wales, but, according to the outlet, Camilla will get first dibs. “The late monarch owned an extraordinary collection of jewelry worth billions of pounds,” The Express reports.
Kate's daily routine: school run, food shop, gym
Regularly dropping the children at school and doing the daily food shopping on nearby Kensington High Street, the duchess also prefers to swap the indoor gym at the Palace for runs in Kensington Gardens.
A lady-in-waiting (also called waiting maid) is a female personal helper at a noble court. 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.
Kate's ties to the British monarchy go back a little further than her marriage to Prince William. She is a descendent of Mary and Anne Boleyn as well, according to The Spectator.
What Happens With Queen Elizabeth's Clothes? Queen Elizabeth never wears the same outfit twice at important events. Therefore, the sovereign prefers to either change her outfits and if she gets bored of them, she sends them to her dressers, who are then allowed to either wear them themselves or sell them.
This particular lady-in-waiting and right-hand woman is Lady Susan Hussey. Baroness Hussey has been a friend and companion to Queen Elizabeth since 1960, when she was employed as the Queen's Woman of the Bedchamber.
Lady Anne is best known by her title, Duchess of Glenconner, and was one of the Queen's closest friends, even serving as a Maid of Honour during the Queen's coronation in 1953.