The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-01-25
The QUEENS WILL.
Petticoated Officers Who Do Her
Bidding.
A VERY EXPENSIVE HOUSEHOLD.
Six Hundred Persons Who Kill Time for Her
Majesty What it Costs the British
Kingdom Annually.

LONDON, Jan. 10, 1S91.-TSpecial cores
poncence of THE HERALD. flight bed
chamber women at salary of fifteen hun
dred dollars year,
This item appears in the annual list of
Official household expenses for the Queen
The title is very misleading to one who has
never had a chance to learn from those who
know of the inside workings of her majes-
ty's service. In fact, all, or nearly all
English titles are misonmer to the Amer
lean mind, for in a majority of cases they
are only guise for adding to the income of
some titled and favored person. Concealed
under the gauze of singular name they
pass without notice or inquiry by the sub
lects even who pay for the caprice of roy
atty. 1 doubt if one person in ten thousand
out of the charmed circle which is made up
OF nobility know why and for what good
purpose these bed chamber women are
called and named. Yet they occupy very
significant place near the queen and earn
all they receive if not more
THE QUEENS HOUSEHOLD
is remarkable affair and organized upon
what may truly be called a broad basis
There are thirty three well known officers
wearing petticoats who wait upon the COM
mands OF her majesty, and they hold rank
and grade as fully defined as the officers of
a regiment, although a social establishment
as 1t were.
They do not command nor control com
panies nor battalions of servants that wait
upon her as many people may suppose
Neither do they have any duties to perform
| except of the high social and dignified
order of assistance which the sovereign
| needs IN the control of her household, and
the eXacting work which her exalted sta
don impress upon her. For no woman in
| the world, no matter what her age, accepts
and ills into every twenty-four hours of
of life so many tasks both for her own ac-
count and to meet the wishes of her people,
Yet, they are dissatisfied because they do
not see more of her and long for the day
| when Albert Edward shall become king
This is partly because they want more
pomp and show at their ceremonials, and
wish to see the royal carriage with its rich
| trimmings drawn with the finest of horses
ridden by gaily dressed outrlders and sur
rounded with all that inspiring style that
belongs to royalty. People here are fond
| of their rulers and want to see them often,
and there is serious discomfort that the
Queen has not opened parliament for five
| years and has given the public very little
view of herself upon great occasions None
| but her have the right to
WEAR THE ROYAL ROBES
and the expensive paraphernalia of state.
| Therefore. the movements of the Prince of
| Wales do not have the significance for
| the people as those of the mother. when
| she calls into service all the trappings of
/ no off and ha arst oo q
ants upon her personal comfort
BED chamber women" hold the highest
rank among those who are paid for their
services of the many who wait upon the
| Queen. They are the majo enerals of her
| household. and are drawn from that class
of nobility that are not overburdened with
money and yet hold rank and have attain
| tainments that pleases her majesty IN
| other words they are her favorites among
the associates of her latter life. and the
fifteen hundred dollars year which she
accordS them out of the public estimates
| simply pay their expenses in going from or
coming to her as she wishes, few dollars
| for the extra garments and other incident
ais that belong to people of their class.
| They are at the call OF the Queen whenever
she desires their presence which is as often
as she wants to change the surroundings of
her home and have fresh faces and new
minds 10 give variety to her every day life.
They are not as often called as some other
of her sex who hold honorary positions
only, upon the natural theory that those
whom you pay and can always direct are
not so often asked as those who come with
out drawing a salary.
Ladies of the bed-chamber'' are the hon
orary major generals of the queens house
hold and are not paid. They are women OF
higher rank than
''BED-oHAMBER WOMEN
and the names given to the two classes in
dictate the difference. Lady Dowaper
| Churchill, who belongs by some remove OF
kinship to the family of the Duke of MARI
borough and Lord Randolph Churchill. is
one of the queens favorites, among all her
| female attendants. When l last saw her
majesty she was driving with this noted
woman who is one of the eight ladies of the
| bed-chamber. She is a middle-aged person
of engaging manners and far more than ep-
binary accomplishments, and her frequent
presence at her majesty's side gives her a
| high place among all the ladies of the king.
dom. AT least two of the ladies of the bed
chamber hold the rank of duchess, and the
other six represent nearly as high degree
of social power, while bed chamber women
although the duties of the two grades are
of the same character, never reach higher
than viscountess.
| There are four extra "ladies of the bed
chamber among them duchess, and four
| extra bed chamber women making twelve
honorary and twelve paid females of high
rank whose duties are simply to wait upon
the Queens pleasure, assist in entertaining
| her, and in entertaining the people whor]
she ADMITS to her presence.
| These appointments are much sought