Another tradition of Queen Elizabeth II may see an end next week

Camilla, 75, will have six Queen’s companions in addition to her private secretary and deputy private secretary, Buckingham Palace has said

As per the earlier traditions, ladies-in-waiting were required to attend the Queen all the time. But with Camilla, it will be a more occasional and informal position. They will be helping the Queen Consort only at public events and will not involve correspondence or administration.

Apart from that, they will be part of Camilla’s team at official engagements but will not be included in replying to letters or day-to-day planning.

Moreover, they won’t receive a salary but their expenses will be covered.

Replacing the role of lady-in-waiting will end a feature of court life going back to the middle ages, with such close personal helpers of a Queen often coming from aristocratic families and, over the centuries, sometimes caught up in court intrigue, a BBC report cited. 

This symbolic change of direction will be put into practice next week, when the Queen Consort hosts a reception for campaigners against domestic violence and violence against women.

The list of companions include:

• Sarah Troughton

• Jane von Westenholz, mother of the woman who introduced Prince Harry to his future wife Meghan Markle

• Fiona, the Marchioness of Lansdowne, an interior designer

• Lady Katharine Brooke

• Baroness Carlyn Chisholm, a non-affiliated peer

• Lady Sarah Keswick, whose husband, Sir Chips Keswick, retired as Arsenal chairman in 2020 after spending 15 years on the board at the north London football club, according to Tatler

Figures published by the Office for National Statistics on Friday showed that 2.4 million adults in England and Wales, 1.7m women and 700,000 men, had suffered from domestic abuse in the previous year.

Queen Camilla has campaigned to raise awareness about domestic violence and for the first time her Queen’s companions will be with her at the Violence Against Women Girls reception at Buckingham Palace, rather than ladies-in-waiting.

Meanwhile, the former ladies-in-waiting who served the late Queen Elizabeth II will now help King Charles to host events at Buckingham Palace and will be known as “ladies of the household”.