With Queen Camilla, the era of the English royal family ends.. A few months after her husband Charles ascended the throne, Buckingham Palace is preparing to say goodbye to the ladies-in-waiting. Omnipresent figures in the life of every sovereign, including Elizabeth herself, the ladies-in-waiting will disappear, giving way to the queen’s companions, the queen’s friends. This is an honorary role that will not include administrative or correspondent duties, but rather an escort on formal occasions and support on more informal occasions.
An important change of pace that redefines roles and balances inside the palace, and also allows for cost savings – at the request of Charles, who announced a less luxurious coronation ceremony – since the “companions of the queen” they will no longer receive a salary, but only reimbursement. A symbolic change of direction that, unsurprisingly, comes at Camilla’s meeting with some Violence Against Women and Girls activists against domestic and gender-based violence. A topic very dear to the Queen, especially in light of the latest figures released by the Office for National Statistics, which show that 2.4 million adults in England and Wales were affected by domestic violence in 2021, of which 1.7 million were women and 700,000 people. people.
Among the women who will part of the queen’s magic circle, we find old friends such as the Marchioness Lansdowne, Jane von Westenholtz, Lady Catherine Brooke, Sarah Troughton, Lady Sarah Keswick and Baroness Carlene Chisholm, former Cabinet Speaker in the House of Lords. How do you know from BBCQueen Camilla, 75, has also appointed Major Ollie Plunket as her equerry with personal assistants. While former ladies-in-waiting who served the late Queen Elizabeth II, such as the ubiquitous Lady Susan Hussey, will now help King Charles host events at Buckingham Palace and be known as the “ladies of the house”. The world is changing and the monarchy must adapt.
Source: Elle