UNITED KINGDOM: Queen Consort Camilla has decided to end the royal tradition of having ladies-in-waiting and instead will be assisted by the “Queen’s companions.”
In a revolutionary, modernising move, the new “companions” will be less regularly sought for their services than their previous roles.
The honorary positions involve helping the Queen Consort during her public appearances at events and royal duties.
These new “companions” will have no part in correspondence or administration, unlike their predecessors.
They will occupy a more informal position and be sought occasionally, supporting the Queen at official engagements and royal services instead of replying to state letters or being actively involved in day-to-day planning.
They will not receive a salary but have their expenses covered by the Royal Family.
Ending this royal tradition of keeping ladies-in-waiting in close proximity marks the end of an era dating back to the middle ages, when close helpers of the Queen would hail from upper-class aristocratic families and often get involved in court scandals or intrigues over the years.
This symbolic change will be announced next week when the Queen Consort hosts a reception for campaigners against domestic violence and violence against women.
The Office for National Statistics released a report on Friday indicating that 2.4 million adults in England and Wales, including 1.7 million women and 700,000 men, had suffered from domestic abuse last year.
The Queen Consort has taken a keen interest in the pertinent issue and hopes to vocalise action against it by hosting a massive reception, where her Queen’s companions will accompany her, at the Violence Against Women and Girls conference at Buckingham Palace.
Some of the first companions include long-time, fervent friends: the Marchioness of Lansdowne, Jane von Westenholz, Lady Katharine Brooke, Sarah Troughton, Lady Sarah Keswick, and Baroness Chisholm, a former Conservative whip and Cabinet Office spokeswoman in the House of Lords.
The late Queen Elizabeth’s ladies-in-waiting will now go over to King Charles III’s side and help the King host public events at Buckingham Palace and thereafter be named “ladies of the household.”
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