The Queen's handpicked loyal ladies in waiting were pictured in black dresses and hats as they paid their last duty to Her Majesty at her funeral service on Monday. The royal tradition of the ''ladies in waiting'' is made up a small group of women chosen by Queen Elizabeth II who had been by her side for over 60 years and had grown from staff members to some of her most cherished friends.
It's been reported that the Queen's trusted team of ladies were the same ones who helped her out every day with the busy upkeep life of being monarch, the Mirror reports. Some selected her outfits, helped her wash and get clothed, while others would help organise the Queen's demanding diary, scheduling official engagements, family events and other commitments in between.
After Her Majesty's death on September, 8 it is predicted that a few of the long standing ladies in waiting will soon retire as some of them are well into their 80's now but they were determined to serve the Queen until the very end. As the new Queen Consort, it's been speculated that Camilla will approach things differently from her late mother in law.
It has been predicted that she will choose to do away with the role of ladies-in-waiting completely, in a bid to modernise the monarchy. Marlene Koenig, a historian who has studied the Royal Family for several years, told the Express : "There are some positions that may no longer be filled.
"You wonder if the women, especially Queen Camilla, will use ladies-in-waiting as the Queen did. She's never had, even as the Duchess of Cornwall, an official lady-in-waiting."
Camilla had a former secretary, Angela MacManus, who filled the role of lady-in-waiting but wasn't officially named. Queen Elizabeth, however, appointed nine ladies-in-waiting from 1953 to 2017, who were mostly "women from aristocratic families".
Historically, ladies-in-waiting did not get paid and were unable to quit or retire from the position, therefore committing to serve the Queen for her lifetime. When the Mistress of the Robes, Fortune FitzRoy, Dowager Duchess of Grafton, died, Queen Elizabeth never replaced her, suggesting the traditional role was coming to an end.
Angela Kelly, the late monarch's personal dressmaker, was another example of Her Majesty inching away from the tradition. The ladies-in-waiting would send notes of thanks to the public from the Queen, but Ms Koenig predicts an end to that era.
"I think in the correspondence office, it's just going to be people signing the letters. In this day in age, they will have people who do it, but I don't expect they'll have the formal title," she explained. Both Camilla and Kate, Princess of Wales, were given the choice to appoint ladies-in-waiting upon marrying into the Royal Family, but neither of them did.
This is of stark contrast to the royal women who all used ladies-in-waiting before them, such as Diana, Princess of Wales, Princess Alexandra and the Duchess of Gloucester. Ms Koenig predicts there will be a shift moving forward, as royal women now "have someone who assists them" instead of waiting on them - a role now seemingly outdated.
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