Royal Courtiers, Ladies in Waiting, Staff, etc

[biboquinhas]

She was at that time a lady in waiting only now she is her private secretary!

[tommy1716]

I was wondering which royal staff (Secretaries, Press Secretaries, Finance Secretaries etc) people felt advised thier royal best?

For example I feel that the Press Office staff at clarence House are rather bad with the advise they give to Princes William and Harry (William especially) and the advise given to the Duchess of Cornwall. This is my opinion based on their coverage in the press etc.
However i feel the Queen's press secretay advices and works well for HM, HM has good media coverage, not too much not too little and most of the coverage is of HM's engagements not her life. The Finance Staff at BP also seem pretty good with their advise to a point.

What do others think, especially about the other royal families?

[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

[Lady Claire]

Who appoints the lady-in-waiting? Does the Queen get to pick or does the Crown Princess get to pick her own?

[sgl]

I am not as knowledgeable as many others on this forum, but I am going to attempt to answer your question, Lady Claire. I think that it depends on the country. There was some discussion in the Danish Royal Family thread when a LIW was appointed for Marie Cavallier. It sounded like candidates were suggested by the court, and then one was selected for her. I do not know how much input Princess Marie actually had in the selection of her Lady In Waiting. I would imagine that most Ladies In Waiting must be approved or chosen by the royal court, but I would also think that the queen or princess would have some input.

[Maura724]

Originally Posted by norwegianne

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.

Why does she have one if the others don't?

[ysbel]

Originally Posted by Maura724

Why does she have one if the others don't?

I think it is because Princess Astrid suffers from ill health and gets around badly.

[madeleine victoria]

I don't know if there are ladies in waiting in Spain so I'm asking this...Do the Queen and CPss Letizia have their own ladies in waiting?

[chaimae]

Originally Posted by madeleine victoria

I don't know if there are ladies in waiting in Spain so I'm asking this...Do the Queen and CPss Letizia have their own ladies in waiting?

i m going to answer you from my one experience ;i write always to all the royals of europ and from the replys i have from them , i dont think there is lady in waiting in spain from the replys i got from the king ; the queen and the crown prince and princess tere is 'jefe del protocol de la casa de S.M el rey " or " S.A R principe Filipe " so the man who is charging to answer the letters is the chef of the protocole not ladys in waiting !

and i just read a post could answer your question ; plz move to the post 72.

[lyndaW]

Anyone know if Queen Rania has a LIW, she is always so sophisticated and elegant at all times

[MasquedCount]

I would like some clarification on positions in current & past Imperial & Royal Households. I understand many are based on Germany or Byzantine Empire or early France.

I feel like something is being lost in translations or are they accurate? I know it differs from household to household but could someone clarify perhaps the normal standard differences between the Chamberlain (or chamberlains), the Master of the Court or Household, and the Court Marshal/Grand Marshal?

I undertand the Grand Chamberlains are usually ceremonial, are there other chamberlains?

It becomes more murky for me in the differences in most courts between the Grand Master/Master of the Household/Court and the Grand Marshal or Court Marshal.
Also some use Chancellor, perhaps some clarification on that too.

Can this be moved to Royal Ceremony and Protocol? May get more of answer there hopefully.

[LadyFinn]

According to the countess Alice Trolle-Wachtmeister, the Mistress of the Robes of the Swedish Royal Court, queen Silvia has at the moment two ladies-in-waiting.
1. Baroness Christina von Schwerin, 70 years, since 1990
2. Eva Hafström, 52 years, she started at 1st September.

[CyrilVladisla]

During the reign of King Edward IV of England, The Black Book of the Household was drawn up. It enshrined the rights and duties of all the members of the royal household.
The Black Book of the Household also included the ceremonial details to be observed at court. It was compulsory for every male member of King Edward IV of England's household above the rank of gentleman to wear a gold collar of suns and white roses in honor of the House of York.

Empress Marie Louise of the French's principal lady-in-waiting was the Duchesse de Montebello.

[USCtrojan]

Does anyone know if any of the ladies of the non-reigning houses have ladies-waiting? Queen Anna-Maria, Queen Anne, former King Simeon's wife, or even Crown Princess Katherine of Serbia?

[CyrilVladisla]

The Empress Elisabeth of Austria's aunt, who was also her mother-in-law, the Archduchess Sophie, chose the Countess Esterhazy to be the Mistress of the Household.

[Mbruno]

Originally Posted by Furienna

This is interesting, But I have a question. What's the difference between the aristocratic, noble and patrician?

"Patricians" are members of old and well-known Dutch families who are listed in the so-called "Blue Book" (officially Nederland's Patriciaat). Patrician familes are those that have held prominent public offices for several generations in the Netherlands throughout the centuries and belong to the country's upper class, but were never formally admitted into the nobility (de Nederlandse Adel).

The nobility on the other hand is a class of individuals who, by inheritance, birth right or royal decree are legally entitled to use a title (e.g. count, viscount, baron, etc.) or an honorific predicate. The list of families who belong to the nobility is maintained by an official state body known as de Hoge Raad van Adel (the High Council of Nobility), which reports to the Dutch council of ministers.

In the Kingdom of the Netherlands, one could be admitted into the nobility by 3 different methods:

1. The person's family could be recognized by the monarch as part of the indigenous nobility of the Netherlands from the days of the old Dutch republic (1572-1795).
2. The person could be elevated to the nobility by royal decree.
3. If the person's family held nobility status in a foreign country, he/she could be incorporated into the nobility of the Netherlands when he/she or his/her father became a naturalized Dutch citizen.

I believe #1 is theoretically still possible, albeit very unlikely, since most eligible families were already recognized a long time ago. New elevations to the nobility on the other hand, although common in 19th century, are now legally possible only for members or former members of the Dutch Royal House. Likewise, incorporation of foreign nobility is no longer allowed by law.



When a person was admitted into the Dutch nobility (by one of the 3 aforementioned methods), he could be also granted a title, or have a pre-existent family title recognized/confirmed by the monarch. Otherwise, if no title was granted or recognized, the admitted person became part of what is called the untitled nobility. Sometimes a family was admitted as untitled nobility and, many generations later, they could be raised by the monarch to titled status, either by granting of a new title or recognition of a pre-1795 title.



The general rule in the case of recognized pre-existent titles is that the title is transmitted from birth to all male and female descendants, but in male line only. New titles on the other hand were generally inherited by the first-born son only, but, in some cases, they could also be transmitted to all male-line descendants. In the northern Netherlands (i.e the current Kingdom of the Netherlands), the usual titles of nobility were/are count and baron, whereas in the southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium), the title of viscount also existed in addition to the former. Members of the untitled nobility on the other hand are entitled to use the honorific predicate of jonkheer, which is also hereditary in male line.

[CyrilVladisla]

What are a gentleman's background requirements to be hired as a Royal Valet?

[Duc_et_Pair]

In the Netherlands the Hofdames (litterally: Ladies of the Court) and the Dames du Palais (more senior Hofdames) as well the Kamerheren (Chamberlains) are appointed and dismissed at the King's pleasure. These ladies and gentlemen are not paid for their services but are reimbursed for all costs they make for their duties. The Hofdames, Dames du Palais and the Kamerheren form part of the so called Civil House.

Beside the Civil House, there is also the Military House. This is responsible for all the ceremonial and protocol for which the military is responsible. The Aide-de-Camps accompanying members of the royal family are appointed and dismissed at the King's pleasure as well, after a nomination by the Minister of Defence. These remain in service of the armed forces but are "detached into the service of His Majesty The King".

Queen Beatrix had far more Hofdames than Queen Máxima. That is logical: a reigning Queen has a total different schedule and agenda than a consort. At the moment Queen Máxima has four Hofdames, led by the Grand Mistress:

Martine Louise Amelie van Loon-Labouchère (Grand Mistress)
Ottoline Antoinette ("Lieke") Gaarlandt-van Voorst van Beesd
Maria Louisa Alexandra ("Bibi") Baroness van Zuylen van Nijevelt-den Beer Poortugael
Josephine Maria ("Pien") van Karnebeek-Thijssen
Anna Magdalena ("Annemijn") Crince le Roy-van Munster van Heuven

[carlota]

Originally Posted by Duc_et_Pair

At the moment Queen Máxima has four Hofdames, led by the Grand Mistress:

Martine Louise Amelie van Loon-Labouchère (Grand Mistress)
Ottoline Antoinette ("Lieke") Gaarlandt-van Voorst van Beesd
Maria Louisa Alexandra ("Bibi") Baroness van Zuylen van Nijevelt-den Beer Poortugael
Josephine Maria ("Pien") van Karnebeek-Thijssen
Anna Magdalena ("Annemijn") Crince le Roy-van Munster van Heuven

gosh, that's a good troop of aides for Maxima ! :) looks like Pien and Bibi are Maxima's age which must be nice for her... do each of them help Maxima in a different way?

here are some pics of them:

Annemijn
Pien
Bibi
Lieke
Martine


to my knowledge, letizia only has a male secretary. kate seems to have 3 or 4 different helpers who travel with her. mary has caroline, her secretary and her LIW, tanya.

[rchainho]

thanks for the images and info. that was great.