Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1906-11-09
COURT LIFE Is A BORE
LADY-INWAITING REALLY sLAy
ISL POSITION.
v oman Often Has to Stand for Hours
and Do Many Odd Things to
Please Regal Mistress.

/ 1nefe are TWO Quallhcat tons WithOu-
which no woman need hope to become y
f! iady-ln-Walting, writes one who has her
self attended upon royalty The first is
the power to make herself agreeable at
all times, both to hey employer and to
the royal household.
The second qualification. tile possession
| Oh stfong legs, may appear an easy mat
| ter at tl-st sight but. according fo this
confession III the Ladies' Realm. when
Carried INTO practice it is very irving.
Ihe woman who has been accustomed 10
| seat herself whenever she feels tired of
standing IS apt to become nervous and
strained when she knows that she may
| not. except under the plea OF illness saat
| herself for at least coupe OF hours to
come. When royalty braces her muscles
| SUBJECTS must not dream of relaxing
| theirs.
Some women can stand; here ara
others who cannot. Among the former
NJ rs Queen Alexandra. At the giving away
OF war medals two years ago she was
observed and timed by an onlooker.
without showing the faintest signs of
fatgue she stood, with practically no
change of position, for two hours and
Twenty-Five minutes. Though her ma
| Jesty now sits during a portion of tbo
time. court is being held the ladies' in
waiting remain standin" and this fine
ton lasts at least two hours.
Ihe writer once asked a lady of tho
bed-chamber who was never robust how
| she had managed the standing dnrno
the late queens drawing rooms Queen
i Victoria in her latter years ALWAYS
used a small chair, which supported her
yet was practically invisible to those
who passed before her. The lady of thn
bedchamber's reply was:
old and roomy slippers. | ALWAYS
kept an old pair, two sizes too large,
which did duty year after year. and
We're useless for anything else.''
While on duty the lady-n-waitinc has
| to be always with her mistress, unless
the latter desires to be alone, which is
very rare. Royalties are apt to feel duh
| when lett to the mOnotony of their own
| thoughts and get accustomed to constant
| cOmpanionship.
She must not leave the precincts of
the palace, as at any moment she NAV
| be summoned. Yet that summons NAV
not come for many hours-nay. many
days, if the court happens to he So
| JournlnS in the country.
There is no possibility of mapping
| out her day and settling to her own oc-
equations, and no matter what the news
may be from home, no matter how
alarming or saddening, she must never
appear rutfied or unhappy in the royal
| presence. 1t is treason to disturb the
1 -
| There are a variety of duties which
fall to the lot of the lady-in-waiting.
| There are many letters to be answered,
sometimes of a begging character, or
sometimes accepting or rejecting appeals
to open hospital wards. lay foundation
| stones, to open bazaars and charity
| fetes.
Sometimes the royal lady desires to
offer a visit to ore of her subjects, or to
| accept tn air invitation to honor them
| with her presence; in such cases the
| lady-inw waiting has to write to the in
tended hostess, stating any little desires
| for her comfo.t and happiness which her
| royal highness is known to possess, the
| Games of certain friends whom she de-
sires to meet, which are added to the
list of guests submitted for the royal
approval.
| Queen Victoria often dislked fires in
her bedroom and ia warm weather mad
| blocks of ice placed in her apartments.
| All such little personal fancies must be
| stated by the lady-in- waiting to the host
ess that life may, for the time being, be
made as agreeable as possible to so hon
ored a guest.
| Sometimes the lady-in- waiting has to
! do some shopping of too delicate a ma
| ture to be intrusted to one of lesser
standing; sometimes there are private
| charities to be inquired into.
Then there is frequently the dressing
of the stall which her highness has sig
| nifed her intention to sell at, and the
remaining on after the. royal patroness
| has left, to see that all the goods are
| disposed of and the profits safely trans
| ferred to the proper quarter. She must
| also finish any articles of needework
which her mistress has begun and tired
of. She must be able to play, if not
sing. and be competent to touch up any
painting and drawing, possibly half exc
| cute both. abandoned by her employer.
| Many royal ladies are inveterate and
unwearying sightseers. Some are con-
| 6rmed burners of the midnight oil. They
| keen their attendants with them till the
| early hours of the morning, either play
| ing cards, listening to music, or plying
| the needle; but no fatigue must be eX-
| hibited.
| life of the lady-in-waiting. She must be
provided against all emergencies. Mourn
| ing she must always have ready TO don
at any moment. She requires a couple
! of court trains. which can be worn over
different dresses Some ladies-in-Walt-
| ing, like their private sisters, borrow
court train from a friend. The writer
once possessed a court train that passed
| through eight different hands IN Two
years; it attended nearly every ura"ihs
room during that period.
| The nav is small, but with strlct re-
! card TO economy it covers personal eA-
nenses. 1t is a servile position, morally
considered. Still. after the glamor ana
| gloss of court life has worn OFT the groaIti
of slavery is succeeded by a hugglns OIL
| the chains. -,o1o
matter-o glamor which enthralls at
| first sat;ates later but which IN tune
| comes to be the most binding tie when
| can he forged,