What is a lady in waiting??

Question

I have heard the term but do not know what it means.. is there men in waiting also.. or are they called something else?

Answer 1

A lady-in-waiting is a female personal assistant at a noble court, attending to a queen, a princess or other noblewoman. A lady-in-waiting is often a noblewoman of lower rank (i.e., a lesser noble) than the one she attends to, and is not considered a servant or other commoner. Their duties varied from monarchy to monarchy.

In Tudor England they were divided into four separate caste systems - great ladies, ladies of the privy chamber, Maids of Honour and chamberers. The ladies of the privy chamber were the ones who were closest to the queen, but most of the other women were the maids of honour. Female relatives were often appointed because they could be trusted confidantes to the queen.

The duties of ladies-in-waiting at the Tudor court were to act as royal companions, and to accompany the Queen wherever she went. Tudor queens often had a large degree of say in who became their ladies-in-waiting. Sometimes Ladies-in-Waiting would be a lady's older sister who never got married and came to keep her sister company.

Today in modern England, in the Royal Household of the United Kingdom the term Lady-in-Waiting is used to describe a woman attending a female member of the Royal Family other than the Queen Regnant or Queen Consort. An attendant upon one of the latter is styled Lady of the Bedchamber or Woman of the Bedchamber, and the senior Lady in Waiting is the Mistress of the Robes. The Women are in regular attendance, but the Mistress of the Robes and the Ladies of the Bedchamber are normally only required for ceremonial occasions. There were formerly other offices, including Maids of Honour.

There is also a lord-in-waiting, who is a nobleman in attendance on a British King or the Prince of Wales.

A governess is a female employee of a family who teaches children within their home. In contrast to a nanny (formerly called a nurse) or a babysitter, she concentrates on teaching children, not their physical needs. Her charges are of school age, not babies. So Queen Elizabeth I was actually looked after by her "governess" not a household manager.

Answer 2

A lady in waiting is a lady servant to a princess or queen. A 'man in waiting' is just called a man servant or servant who service a king and prince. A servants job in a palace is just to take care of everyone and make sure everyone is healthy and the children are raised properly. Not only do the monarchs and the princes and princesses have servants but just about everyone else with a title in the palace does. Some of the men or women with titles manage 'households' an example is the Queen and/or King's households. The manager makes sure the servants are doing their jobs. Such as Elizabeth the First grew up in, there was a children's household managed by a lord or lady.