Queen Elizabeth II († 96) has seen countless palace employees come and go during her 70-year reign. But a small sworn community, the Queen’s ladies-in-waiting, were by her side for many decades. In some cases it was more than 60 years, reports “dailymail.co.uk”. While some can now enjoy a well-deserved retirement, for others the future remains uncertain after the Queen’s death.
Ladies-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth II took care of the protocol
The task of the ladies-in-waiting was to organize the Queen’s everyday life and to ensure that all processes ran smoothly. And so they planned private family celebrations, sourced Christmas and birthday presents, or kept the Queen company when she watched one of her beloved horse races.
As the website further reports, at least two of the ladies-in-waiting will resign immediately because they are well over 80 years old. But an insider said at least one or two of the ladies-in-waiting will remain on duty for a few more weeks.
Queen Camilla appreciates the advice of ladies-in-waiting
The reason: Queen Camilla (75), wife of King Charles III. (73), needs advice from the Queen’s longtime companions in her new role. She is also quite interested in what the ladies-in-waiting have to tell about gossip stories from the palace. And that’s where she’s at with the Queen’s closest confidants, according to another insider, who said of the ladies-in-waiting: “They’re funny and impressive – and they know absolutely everything. Fascinating and terrifying at the same time.”
Five ladies-in-waiting pay their last respects to Queen Elizabeth II
When the Queen’s coffin was brought into Westminster Hall on September 13, her ladies-in-waiting were Lady Susan Hussey, 83, Dame Mary Morrison, 85, Dame Annabel Whitehead, 79, Lady Elizabeth Leeming, 62, and Susan Rodes included.
Hussey was appointed in 1960, the year Prince Andrew (62) was born. Originally she was only supposed to deal with the Queen’s correspondence, but quickly became her right-hand man and later even godmother to Prince William (40). Dame Mary Morrison has also been at the Queen’s side since 1960 and, like the late Queen, is said to be a great fan of horse racing. Dame Annabel Whitehead had been in the service of the monarch since 2002. She had previously worked for her sister Margaret († 71) and changed jobs after Margaret passed away on February 9, 2002.
In 2017, the Queen appointed two younger ladies-in-waiting, including Lady Elizabeth Leeming, a first cousin of the monarch. Susan Rhodes, the second newly appointed lady-in-waiting, is the wife of Simon Rhodes. And he is the son of Margaret Rhodes († 91), who died in 2016, a cousin of the Queen and one of her best childhood friends.
