Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1914-07-17
A COVETED POSITION
How a Queen Selects Her Maids
of Honor.
Candidate Must Possess Many Accom-.
pIlshnents--Woman Who Attends
Royalty Has Many Privileges
and a Courtesy Title.

Dating back to the end Of the si1-
teenth century, when James ! ap-
pointed four "damsels Of clean birth
and good breeding" to attend on Ais
consort under the direction Of a dow
ager Of discretion"-a person often
called the mother Of maids" post
long since abolished--the position Of
maid of honor Is much coveted one.
Indeed. the Hon. sybil Cadogan, who
has Just been appointed maid OF
honor by Queen Mary, was one Of
over 100 Girls who were hopefully
waiting to be chosen to MI the va
cancy. says London Tit.Bits 4. /,
The privileges and advantages at-s
tached to the position are many. but
maid of honor must Of necessity bN
an exceedingly accomplished young
woman. IN the first place. she must
be granddaughter Of a peer, n not,
nearer in blood; for. unless some spe-
cial provision Is made, the Office can
not be held by any one below that
rank. Secondly, she must be o good
linguist not only because of the for
eigners she will meet at court but be-
cause she will be called upon TO deal
with some of her majesty's private
correspondence. @
Her conversational powers must be
considerably above the average,
brightness and vivacity. too, being q
distinct recommendation. A talent
for music and singing and an ability
to read aloud with clearness and e1-
preston are also qualities which are
taken into account in appointing q
maid of honor.
Above all, however, candidate
must be a model of discretion and
tact, who avoids gossip as she would
the plague. To maid of honor court
secrets are a closed book. 1t Is
rule that she must not keep diary,
which recalls the witty reply of one
maid, who, when a female acQuaint-
ance remarked that II she were q
maid of honor she would keep secret
diary, promptly said: a-r
"Then you would no longer be .
maid Of honor"
One Of the curious privileges of the
post of maid Of honor when In waiting
is that OF being allowed to- wear q
charming miniature of the queen set.
| in diamonds on the left shoulder.
This ornament, which bears the date
Of the coronation at the back, Is sur
mounted by fiat bow of red and
white ribbon, and when the owner 10
In waiting is worn on the left side OF
the corsage, like . decoration. But At
other times it can be worn as brooch
or a pendant.
A maid Of honor is not expected to
give up her badge when she marriea
or If she resigns her post, but may re-
tain It to the end of her life. and
would wear it on any future occasion
when she happened to find herself in
the presence of their majesties.
The courtesy title Of honorable is
also hers, whether single or married,
until the end of her existence. This
title is only bestowed upon maid of
honor few days before she takes
up her new appointment. She re-
ceives a formal letter from the lord
chamberlain intimating that the SOW
ereign deems it advisable that this
style and title should be afforded her.
and that she will henceforth be known
under this designation.
Every one may not know that
maid Of honor is expected to have
home of her own in London when the
court is at Buckingham palace. A
royal carriage is, however sent every
morning to convey her to the scene of
her duties. -.
The usual rule is for maid Of
honor to be in close attendance upon
the queen from ten to eleven O'CLOCK
in the morning, until four or i've
o'clock in the afternoon, and again In
the evening every day for two months
in the year, the position carrying
with it an allowance Of e400 per an
mum. The late Queen Victoria had
eight maids, but the number was re-
duced to four by Queen Alexandra.
and is maintained by Queen Mary !.