Rules British Ladies-In-Waiting Must Follow

May 2024 · 2 minute read

A lady of the bedchamber is the highest general category of lady-in-waiting. These were historically wives (or widows) of other nobles. The highest lady of the bedchamber, and thereby single highest lady-in-waiting, is the mistress of the robes. She is always a duchess and has many duties, including scheduling the rotations of all the other ladies-in-waiting. Next in line is the woman of the bedchamber, who is responsible for making the queen's social calendar, and (at least historically) helping her bathe and dress.

Maids of honour are next in the hierarchy. These are essentially unmarried ladies, though with their inferior unmarried status comes inferior rank and duties. Lucky (or, some might say, advantageous) maids could marry up and find themselves in a very high lady-in-waiting position — on top of receiving a £1,000 marriage gift (£134,000 today) from Queen Victoria herself during her reign.

Lastly, there are extra ladies of every category. According to an 1895 edition of The Strand Magazine, these are not permanent members of the court but rather are called in when another lady cannot perform her duties. Additionally, the queen's female "close relations," such as cousins, would live in the palace and wait on her. These relatives were typically married, and all ranked higher than any lady-in-waiting. 

Breaking with this traditional system, Queen Elizabeth II has only five ladies-in-waiting. While she has both a mistress of the robes and a woman of the bedchamber, their duties are not so strictly defined as they were during previous eras.

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