Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com – Would you like to have a personal ᴀssistant who helps you with your daily routines? Most of us have to cope with everyday duties on our own. Not many can afford such luxury; frankly, some would even feel embarrᴀssed if a stranger was always there and ᴀssisted us.

The duties of ladies in waiting varied from court to court. Credit: Franz Xaver Winterhalter – Public Domain

It was, however, a completely different story in England during the Tudor and Elizabethan Eras (1485 – 1602). In those days, a lady in waiting was a profession that could sometimes even be slightly dangerous. A lady-in-waiting could be found in most European royal courts, not only the English one.

Power Of Royal Women

Royal women “exercised significant influence and power in most early modern societies, whether as rulers in their own right in the wives or mothers of kings. They possessed their residential quarters and households that provided them with a store of patronage; these physical environments, primarily dominated by women, often developed into important social and political centers.

There is, accordingly, every reason to think that a ‘politics of intimacy’ should have developed around queens and kings, in which female courtiers would have been actively involved. Even if they could not typically hold judicial and administrative offices in the administration of royal government or lead armies and embᴀssies, some women were

Well-placed to gather and spread inside information, influence the distribution of certain forms of patronage, and facilitate contacts and agreement between powerful men and women.” 1

Daily Life And Duties Of A Lady In Waiting

Being a lady in waiting (also called a waiting maid) may sound like a simple job. Still, it was a respectable profession, and this woman had access to vital royal information.

Only a noblewoman could become a lady in waiting. The woman was chosen from a high society by the queen herself.

Several examples of renowned ladies in waiting later became prominent historical figures. One famous lady in waiting was Jane Seymour (1508 –1537), who eventually became a queen. She was the third wife of King Henry VIII.

Marie Louise of Savoy-Carignan, Princesse de Lamballe was lady-in-waiting to Queen Marie Antoinette of France. Credit: Public Domain

Sadly, Jane Seymour died during childbirth, but at least she had more luck than several of Henry VIII’s other wives who the king executed. Seymour was the only one of Henry’s wives to receive a queen’s funeral and his only consort to be buried beside him in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.

A lady in waiting can be best described as a personal ᴀssistant whose job is to accompany a queen, a princess, or a noblewoman, as a trusted companion. She helped dress and ensured that the lady she served was always entertained. Popular entertainment in those days included riding, painting, and embroidery.

As belonging to the royal court, a lady-in-waiting was also expected to participate in balls and masques. On those occasions, she could establish contact with prominent people. Having powerful links, a lady-in-waiting had many possibilities to make an impression on the English nobility.

Another essential duty of a lady-in-waiting was to keep the queen updated with the latest gossip from the royal court. A lady in waiting always knew what was happening, and she frequently heard conversations of monarchs, which was also why she could quickly be drawn into a scandal.

She also had to deal with all kinds of correspondence. She read letters to the queen and wrote on her behalf. There wasn’t much a lady in waiting didn’t know about as the queen’s most trusted friend.

This kind of intimacy could benefit her future career, but sometimes also troublesome in case of existing problems at the court. It also explains why a lady-in-waiting could quickly be drawn into a scandal.

Written by Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com

Updated on December 21, 2023

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