Lady-in-Waiting

[hrhcp]

Originally Posted by rebbevb

i dont think she has one

I beg to differ.

I don't think there is a single Crown Princess in Europe without a lady in waiting.

But mum's the word .... it being a position of privilege and more so, honour.

[Charlotte1]

Originally Posted by hrhcp

I beg to differ.

I don't think there is a single Crown Princess in Europe without a lady in waiting.

But mum's the word .... it being a position of privilege and more so, honour.

Maxima doesn't have a lady in waiting. If the occasion warrants one then Queen Beatrix lends her one of hers to accompany her.

There's also been no announcement as to whether Camilla has a lady in waiting. They are usually formally announced.

[rchainho]

none of the spanish royals have lady in waiting.

[Henri M.]

Originally Posted by Charlotte1

Maxima doesn't have a lady in waiting. If the occasion warrants one then Queen Beatrix lends her one of hers to accompany her.

In daily practice Princess Máxima always has a Hofdame in her enclosure, but because these ladies are in the Queen's personal service and are paid by the Queen herself, do have appartments in the Queen's residences and fall under the 'Honorary Household', we formally can not label them as 'Máxima's Hofdame'. In practice the Queen's Hofdames (6 ladies) and Dames du Palais (appr. 4 ladies) have a shift which also 'covers' the engagements of the Princess of Orange.

[Saudiprincipessa]

ive noticed that many Royals have ladies or should i say people, in waiting, and others dont.
but what exactly is the job of a Lady or person in waiting?

i know it seems stupid to ask, but im curious
thank you!

[tamar]

I Know That Cp Mary Has A Lady In Waiting, You Can See Her In Many Photos, She Is A Bit Taller Than Mary And Looks Very Nice

[Henri M.]

Originally Posted by Saudiprincipessa

ive noticed that many Royals have ladies or should i say people, in waiting, and others dont.
but what exactly is the job of a Lady or person in waiting?

i know it seems stupid to ask, but im curious
thank you!

See the link please.

[Henri M.]

Originally Posted by tamar

I Know That Cp Mary Has A Lady In Waiting, You Can See Her In Many Photos, She Is A Bit Taller Than Mary And Looks Very Nice

The Hofdame of Crown Princess Mary is Caroline Heering, born Kjær.

She is the daughter of Helle Kirsten Countess Moltke of Bregentved and Jomfruens Egede, born Flamand, formerly Kjær.

[hrhcp]

on wikipedia, I found a presentation of (minimum number of) household staff, that I thought the readers here might in interested in ....

"Household staff

Practices vary depending on the size of the household and the preference of the employers, but in general the staff is divided into departments run by the:

• Butler--the head of household staff in most homes; in charge of the pantry, wine cellar and dining room. In a small house the butler also valets for the master of the house. Male staff report to him. The butler is often engaged by the master of the house but usually reports to the lady of the house or sometimes to the housekeeper.
• Cook--in charge of the kitchen and kitchen staff. Sometimes a chef is employed with several subordinate cooks. The cook usually reports directly to the lady of the house but sometimes to the housekeeper.
• Housekeeper--responsible for the house and its appearance; in charge of all female servants. In grand homes the butler and cook sometimes report to the housekeeper.

Support staff

• Chauffeur
• Companion - (Lady's Companion)
• Governess
• Lady's maid
• Nanny
• Tutor
• Valet (Gentleman's gentleman)

Junior staff

• Footmen
• Between maids (also called Hall girl particularly in the US)
• Hall boy
• Maids -- chambermaids, housemaids,parlourmaids, kitchen maids, laundry maids, nursery maid, scullery maids, still room maids
• Page
• Seamstress
• Useful Man also called houseman

Grounds staff

An Estate Manager may have charge of the maintenance and care of the grounds, landscaping, and outbuildings (pool, cabana, stables, greenhouse etc.) which is divided into departments run by the:

• Head Gardener -- responsible for the grounds around the house; in charge of any additional gardeners or seasonal men and women brought in at times of harvest or planting.
• Stable Master, Stud Master, Master of the Horse, Master of the Hounds, Gamekeeper - various titles used for the individual responsible for the keeping of animals, particularly those used for recreational pursuits such as horseback riding, fox hunting or dog fancy.

Support staff

• Gardeners
• Groundskeepers
• Stablehands
• Handyman"

[Vanesa]

Thank you for the info. It's very useful to me. I see that Royal families still have a great Household Staff.

Vanesa.

[Henri M.]

Originally Posted by Vanesa

Thank you for the info. It's very useful to me. I see that Royal families still have a great Household Staff.

Vanesa.

In the Netherlands some 400 to 800 persons, depending on how you count (only workforce effectively receiving their monthly payment slip from the Royal Household Services), or everyone who works for the Queen's Household like the security (police and armed forces but detached into the Queen's Household) or the the workers from the Royal Forestry (who formally are paid by the Crown Domains) but are effectively working for the Queen's pleasure.

[Henri M.]

Originally Posted by hrhcp

on wikipedia, I found a presentation of (minimum number of) household staff, that I thought the readers here might in interested in ....

That was a nice list but not really the description of a royal household. It is typically the household of a big country estate or stately home.

A royal household also has functions like Chamberlain, Mistress of the Robes, Crown Equerry, Court Chaplain, Court Jeweller, etc.

[Paty]

Originally Posted by rchainho

none of the spanish royals have lady in waiting.

It´s not exactly a lady in waiting

• The Aides-de-Champ to His Majesty The King

The Aides-de-Champ, organised in successive 24-hour duty periods, assist His Majesty, in a permanent fashion and when carrying out his official duties, as well as H.M. The Queen and Their Royal Highnesses The Infantas Doña Elena and Doña Cristina. They also form part of the Retinue of Honour of foreign Heads of State on official visit to Spain.

Four belong to the Army, two to the Navy, two to the Air Force and one to the Civil Guard.

• The Aides-de-Champ to Their Royal Highness The Princes of Asturias

The Aides-de-Champ assist His Royal Highness, in a permanent fashion and when carrying out his official activities, as well as Her Royal Highness The Princess of Asturias.

One belongs to the Army, another one to the Navy and the last one to the Air Force.

[norwegianne]

This thread have been split from the thread about the Norwegian ladies lady-in-waiting, as it is a broader topic.

For future reference: Mette-Marit does not have a lady-in-waiting. The only Norwegian royal with a lady-in-waiting is Princess Astrid Mrs. Ferner.

[ashelen]

thank you for all the explanations for lady in waiting , sorry that i ask but it is not very clear for me, Maxima has a permanent lady in waiting or only some times??????
Is the lady in waiting who teached her the protcol and etiquete??
I presume before to married she had a lot of tutors not only to learn the language but to learn to be a princess, how to walk , how to seat, how to eat, all the formalities , where did she learn all that????

[Prince of Chota]

Ladies traditionally learn what is de rigeuer from other female members of the family, but also attend finishing schools to learn the rest. There are specialists in such things, but learning from an experienced individual is always the easiest way. Families have traditionally taken great pride in raising well-mannered children for whom these rules come almost instinctually. Most rules of etiquette are simply an extension of common courtesy. Other things must simply be memorised.

Ladies-in-waiting are generally not present unless the woman belongs to a rank of royalty. They generally come from a rank in society that is already aware of such rules (and frankly, Maxima was no peasant herself). It is not their formal job to teach royal ladies, but I am sure that they do. It is their duty to see that protocol is never overlooked, and that is much the same thing as teaching it.

[Prince of Chota]

In the United Kingdom, the position is a bit different, and is now called "Maid of Honour". The Queen has several of these with different titles (Mistress of the Robes, etc. All can collectively be referred to as "Ladies-in-Waiting," but this is not the official title.

[RoyalProtocol]

I found this book on amazon on Ladies-in-Waiting, I've ordered it so I report what it's like when it arrives

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0753819872