Elizabeth II with a lady-in-waiting
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lady-in-waiting, in European history, a woman of noble birth who serves a female monarch as a member of the royal household. Any noble woman performing personal service for a queen is often referred to as a lady-in-waiting, although exact titles differ depending on a woman’s particular office or marital status, as well as the language being used. Similar posts exist outside Europe, perhaps most notably in Asia.
The office of lady-in-waiting originated during the Middle Ages as a consequence of the growth and proliferation of queenly households. Queens who spent extended periods separate from the king needed to maintain a discrete household of servants and retainers. Some of these servants were required to assist the queen with dressing, personal hygiene, and other intimate tasks and thus needed to be female. Initially, such posts were held by paid servants. However, this changed amid the growing medieval association between a temporal monarch and the sanction of divinity. 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. The office of maid-of-honour also emerged during this time, and it was held by unmarried women.
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. Kings had varying levels of influence over the women who served in their queens’ households. Contemporary politics could also impact the composition of a queen’s household, as in the so-called “bedchamber crisis” (1839), when Victoria of England refused to allow Robert Peel, the Conservativeleader,who was trying to form a government, to replace some of her ladies-in-waiting with women affiliated with his own political party.
The duties of ladies-in-waiting varied across Europe but were generally similar in the medieval and early modern periods. Ladies-in-waiting performed intimate duties such as putting on and removing the queen’s clothing and bathing her. They were expected to put her needs above those of their own husbands and children. They spent most of the day with the queen and provided her with companionship and entertainment in her private chambers. To that end many ladies-in-waiting could sing, play musical instruments, and dance. In addition, they maintained a prominent role in the court’s public life, attending to the queen and participating in such events as ambassadorial receptions and masques. For this reason, preparation to become a lady-in-waiting included gaining proficiency in several languages. Ladies-in-waiting were universally expected to maintain high moral standards, avoiding scandal and often staying disengaged from politics.
However, the political influence of ladies-in-waiting in European courts is well documented. It was sometimes the subject of gossip and ridicule, for smearing the reputation of a lady-in-waiting was an effective political tool against a monarch. Such was the case of Catherine de’ Medici’s female household, many of whom were accused of using seduction for political gain in 16th-century France. Exercising political power in the medieval and early modern patronage systems of royal courts was in fact a key element of the lives of ladies-in-waiting and often the reason that they sought such offices. A lady-in-waiting had direct access to the queen, who wielded varying degrees of influence over the king and his court. This allowed ladies-in-waiting to advance the petitions and career interests of their families and others. Many ladies-in-waiting received no official compensation for their work and were understood to have taken the office solely to gain social and political capital. In turn, many queens required their ladies-in-waiting to pass along intelligence about their families and members of the court. Ladies-in-waiting were particularly powerful in the courts of female monarchs who ruled independently, as they had direct access to and influence with the highest power in the land.
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. The new post was more informal, with less duties.
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