Page 24 - All About History - Issue 19-14

Kings & Queens

Day in the life How do we know this?
Many books deal with the role of the lady in waiting
during this period using and there are also primary
sources available. Anne Somerset’s Ladies In Waiting
uses a wide array of sources in her chronicle, dealing
ALADYINWAITING with individual stories to provide an intimate
glimpse into this secret world. Ladies-In-Waiting:
Women Who Served At The Tudor Court by Victoria
Evans draws upon manuscripts, firsthand accounts
and personal letters to give a day-to-day account of
famous ladies in waiting who rose through the ranks.

INTIMATE COMPANIONS TO THE MOST

POWERFUL WOMEN IN THE WORLD,
ENGLAND, 1485-1603

Throughout history, specialised personal assistants with a wide variety
of roles, depending on the time period, country and mistress in question,
have attended royal and noble women. In England during the Tudor
and Elizabethan eras the lady in waiting became a vitally important
role, with some ladies in waiting, such as Jane Seymour, even rising
through the ranks to become queens themselves. Chosen from
high society by the queen herself, a lady in waiting was
not a slave or a servant, but a much-needed, trusted
companion in the brutal and often cutthroat
world of the Royal court.

GET DRESSED
There were very strict clothing laws for Elizabethan
women, and ladies in waiting could not wear just
anything. The colour and materials used in clothes
helped to immediately identify the woman’s rank,
keeping the strict class divide in place. Ladies in
waiting were permitted to wear velvets and furs in
crimson or black.

ENTERTAIN THE QUEEN
A key part of a lady in waiting’s job was to ensure
that the queen was entertained at all times. She
would provide company to her mistress and join in
with her pastimes. Embroidery, painting and riding
were all popular forms of entertainment. As ladies
in waiting spent so much time with
the queen she would often select them Although queens were frequently in
the public eye, it was only to their
from her own family. ladies that they were able to reveal
their true selves

PRACTISE SKILLS
Not only was a lady in waiting
expected to be perfectly trained
in the art of etiquette, but she
also had to ensure she kept up
to date with the most popular
dances at court, be proficient
in playing several musical
instruments, an adept horse
rider and be fluent in several
languages. She would spend time
every day perfecting these skills.

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