Ladies-In-Waiting

=Overview=

Part companion, confidante, and cover, the Lady-in-Waiting is an essential part of a Princess or Queen's life. They are expected to accompany the Princess and provide her companionship, be an ear to listen and help advise, and make sure that when in public she is attended and not lacking. More often than not if the Princess and the Ladies are young, they are also privy to and part of the mischief of a young royal, and are expected to be discrete about what they see. Not that they always are.

A noble woman of any standing may be invited to serve at the royal whim, though whether they deign to do so is entirely of their own choosing, provided they can afford to disappoint. Such a social service would of course need to be balanced with any other duties a lady were to have, and thus sovereign Duchesses and other women with many responsibilities of their own are far less likely to serve at the Palais.

Any royal woman is entitled to Ladies-in-Waiting, although the closer one is to the Royal Family the more prestigious a posting it is. A Lady-in-Waiting may be of any age; older and they are a moderating influence and example, younger and they are there to learn and grow, while the same age is there for companionship and sisterhood. Some Princesses and Queens insist on a strict hierarchy of their Ladies, with the Ladies of the Bedchamber being the highest and there being two lesser ranks underneath her, while some prefer a more l'assiez faire approach.

A Mistress of the Robes is the senior Lady-in-Waiting to a Royal.

The male equivalent to a Lady-in-Waiting goes by various names, but often in Terre d'Ange is simply called a Lord-in-Waiting, an attendant of rank to a higher noble. As with Ladies, these Lords can vary in purpose and service, be they advisers or simply close companions.

In Terre d'Ange, it is also not unknown for Royals to be accompanied by Royal Companions from the Priesthood of Naamah or the Night Court. These honored servants are there to advise members of House Courcel in matters of pleasure and the heart, and to provide a bond outside of the realm of politics. Though it does not strictly fall into this realm of service, Royal Companions of a female Princess or Queen often also count themselves among their ladies, as do a Prince's royal companions among his gentlemen.

Known Ladies-in-Waiting
The Dauphine's Companions:


 * Arielle Chabot, Comtesse D'Evreux


 * Nerissa de Mereliot, Sovereign Duchesse of Eisande


 * Lady Noemie L'Envers