The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1898-04-01
QUEEN vICToRIA's HOUSEHOLD.
state Functions" and Eutortainme nts
So ut Buckingham Palace,

| { C r, 81 s5s : =. = } ~
'sStatc Fnncttons"t and Entortainme nts
ut Buckingham Palace.
At the court of Queen Victoria it has
not been customary that the staff of
maids of honor should exceed eight in
number, and at that strength it has been
maintained for many years past-certain-
IL ever since her majesty was stricken by
the heaviest of her many domestic be-
reayements. During two decades of
more frequent occasion for ayailing her.
self Of the ministrations of the younger
ladies Of her household, than she has had
in the comparative seclusion of her
Widowhood. From 1910 to 1860 Buck
ingham palace was the scene of many
splendid entertainments, and what with
state functions" royal visits to the
an infinite variety of public ceremonies
which her majesty was pleased to honor
with her presence, the services of her
smaids" and women of the bedchamber
were in continual request. 1t was, of
course, necessary that two of the former
should always be in readiness to wait
upon their royal mistress at moments
season, involved daily attendance at
the palace of four maids of honor, each
two in their turn, taking Il spell of six
hours duty. These young ladies were
relieved ut fixed intervals, their service
being performed during alternate weeks
or months, in accordance with arrange
ments sanctioned by the Queen at the
instance of the mistress of the robes and
it is more than probable that, in view of
illness or accident, which might at any
time incapacitate the damsels of the reg
ular establishment from fulfilling their
appointed charge, supernumerary maids
of honor We're constantly in reserve to
meet whatever unexpected emergency
might occur.
Even now the name of an "extra" maid
of honor figures in the list of noble dam
the department of the mistress of the
robes, while it may be gathered from the
same lists that there are four extra
ladies of the bedchamber-two of them
duchesses-and no fewer than nine Tex
ira bedchamber women, one of whom
also bears the most exalted title of the
British nobility. This circumstance
would seem to justify the inference that
the maids of honor are better able to en-
dnre the fatigue of court service than
the ladies in waiting of maturer years,
who evidently stand in need of numerous
substitutes and frequent relief. One of
the regulations prescribed to members of
the household, female as we'll as male-to
wit, that they may not sit down in the
Queens presence. save at her majesty S
express command-is assured1y more
suitable to young girls than to elderly, or
even middle-aged, DANES, such as the la
dies of the bedchamber, several of whom
are officially described as 'dowagers'' in
the list above referred to- The salary
drawn by British maids of honor is a
small one. barely sufficient to enable
them to defray the cost of their toilets.
in which the nice gradations of court
mourning too often figure very expen-
sively. In all probability, however, be-
ing daughters of peers of the realm, the
young ladies are literally subventioned
by their parents, ond $500 year, when
all is said and done, will pay for good
deal of fashionable millinery, such as
may fifty be worn by the youthful at
tendants of widow Queen.-London
'Felporanh