The Queen Consort will forego the centuries-old tradition of having ladies-in-waiting as part of their entourage.
Camilla, 75, thinks fewer staff are “more in line with the times” – and her approach fits better with the King’s vision of a leaner monarchy.
Instead, her existing staff will take on the traditional duties of the monarch’s official attendants in what has been lightly described as a “two-for-one” deal, the Chron can reveal.
The late Queen had around seven devoted ladies-in-waiting – affectionately known as the Head Girls – at the time of her death, some of whom had been at her side for more than 60 years.
Camilla, 75, thinks fewer staff are “more in line with the times” – and her approach fits better with the King’s vision of a leaner monarchy
They handled everything from public and personal correspondence to organizing the royal diary to accompanying the monarch on engagements, collecting flowers and arranging private family celebrations.
They were also the monarch’s faithful companions, acting as her eyes and ears in the palace.
The roles were unpaid and the holders were almost always chosen from the upper echelons of the aristocracy, as there are few rich who can afford such a demanding position simply out of loyalty to the crown.
But with most of the current role holders retiring, Camilla has decided to organize things “a little differently.”
A source explained: “When she got married and started her own practice for the first time, she was given two brilliant private secretaries, Amanda Macmanus and Joy Camm. But they were very much “two for the price of one”. They not only arranged all their engagements and projects, but also acted as ladies-in-waiting when necessary, accompanied them on official tasks, collected bouquets of flowers and the like.
The late Queen had around seven devoted ladies-in-waiting – affectionately known as the Head Girls – at the time of her death, some of whom had been at her side for more than 60 years. Pictured: The late Queen with her lady-in-waiting, Mary Morrison
“Nobody stands up in their office on ceremony, everyone interferes.
“The feeling is that while things have changed dramatically in many ways, she will not accept an official line of ladies-in-waiting.”
Camilla currently has two loyal and extremely capable private secretaries, Sophie Densham, and her deputy, Belinda Kim.
As well as organizing Camilla’s diary and public engagements, they are already accompanying her on official visits and will continue to do so at Buckingham Palace, sources say.
Camilla is a prolific writer – in the past year alone she has personally written more than 2,000 letters.
She may be hiring more staff to cope with the inevitable surge in correspondence she is likely to receive.
But other than that, she’ll rely on her existing staff, occasionally bringing in friends like Jane Westenholz — a baroness and former model the Queen Consort apparently calls “Lofty” — to lend a hand when needed.
The source explained, “The Queen Consort will be doing things a little differently. She currently has two private secretaries who do some of these traditional duties anyway.
“And she has a lot of good and decent friends around who she can turn to for support when she needs it. I suspect she will delve into her close circle of friends, perhaps geographically.
“She has a lot of buddies in London and Scotland, but also in the country. She thinks it’s more with time.’
Historically, a lady-in-waiting was a female “personal assistant” at court, often drawn from the nobility to serve a senior royal woman.
But with most of the roles’ existing holders retiring, Camilla has decided to organize things “a little differently”.
Ladies’ duties today are primarily administrative, but without a doubt they are among the most trusted, discreet and powerful figures at court – even if they don’t hold the most prestigious job title or earn a salary. Today they are rather modest in number, but this was not always the case – Queen Elizabeth I had no fewer than 30 ladies-in-waiting.
Queen Elizabeth II’s ladies-in-waiting were led by Lady Susan Hussey, who has been dubbed ‘the number one Head Girl’. Lady Susan, 83, took over the day-to-day operations as Lady of the Bedchamber and has been with the Queen since 1960, the year Prince Andrew was born.
Others included the Honorable Mary Morrison, 85, who had a passion for horse racing, and the Duchess of Grafton.
All ladies-in-waiting were tailored to the needs and whims of the queen.
Though elderly themselves, many remained in office devotedly, wanting to stay with the Queen until she died.