The
Mistress of the Robes is the senior lady of the British
Royal HouseholdThe Royal Household in all the early medieval monarchies of Western Europe formed the basis for the general government of the country. In the modern period in Europe, royal households have become increasingly separate from government, where they still exist....
. Formerly (as the name implies) responsible for the
QueenElizabeth II is the queen regnant of sixteen independent states known informally as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,...
's clothes and jewellery, the post now has the responsibility for arranging the rota of attendance of the
Ladies in WaitingA lady-in-waiting is a female personal assistant at a noble court, attending to a queen, a princess or other noblewoman. A lady-in-waiting is often a noblewoman of lower rank than the one she attends to, and is not considered a servant. Their duties varied from court to court...
on the Queen, along with various duties at State ceremonies. In the past, when the Queen was a
Queen regnantA queen regnant is a qualifying reference to a female monarch possessing and exercising all of the monarchical powers of a ruler, in contrast to a "queen consort", who is the wife of a male reigning as monarch and who is without any official powers of state.In Ancient Egypt, Pacific cultures, and...
rather than a
queen consortA queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles...
, the Mistress of the Robes was a political appointment, changing with the government.
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The
Mistress of the Robes is the senior lady of the British
Royal HouseholdThe Royal Household in all the early medieval monarchies of Western Europe formed the basis for the general government of the country. In the modern period in Europe, royal households have become increasingly separate from government, where they still exist....
. Formerly (as the name implies) responsible for the
QueenElizabeth II is the queen regnant of sixteen independent states known informally as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,...
's clothes and jewellery, the post now has the responsibility for arranging the rota of attendance of the
Ladies in WaitingA lady-in-waiting is a female personal assistant at a noble court, attending to a queen, a princess or other noblewoman. A lady-in-waiting is often a noblewoman of lower rank than the one she attends to, and is not considered a servant. Their duties varied from court to court...
on the Queen, along with various duties at State ceremonies. In the past, when the Queen was a
Queen regnantA queen regnant is a qualifying reference to a female monarch possessing and exercising all of the monarchical powers of a ruler, in contrast to a "queen consort", who is the wife of a male reigning as monarch and who is without any official powers of state.In Ancient Egypt, Pacific cultures, and...
rather than a
queen consortA queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles...
, the Mistress of the Robes was a political appointment, changing with the government. However, this has not been the case since the death of
Queen VictoriaVictoria was the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837, and the first Empress of India of the British Raj from 1 May 1876, until her death...
in 1901, and
Queen Elizabeth IIElizabeth II is the queen regnant of sixteen independent states known informally as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,...
has only had two Mistresses of the Robes in more than fifty years' reign. Queens dowager have their own Mistresses of the Robes, and in the eighteenth century the
Princess of Wales Princess of Wales is a British courtesy title held by the wife of The Prince of Wales since the first "English" Prince of Wales in 1283. Due to the mortality rate and the fact that very few Princes of Wales married prior to ascending the throne , there have in fact been only ten...
had one too. In modern times, the Mistress of the Robes is almost always a Duchess.
Mistresses of the Robes to Queen Mary IMary I , was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from 19 July 1553 until her death. She was the oldest daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. The fourth crowned monarch of the Tudor dynasty, she is remembered for restoring England to Roman Catholicism after succeeding her short-lived...
, 1553-1558
Mistresses of the Robes to Queen Elizabeth IElizabeth I was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called the Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
, 1558-1603
- 1559/1562–1603: Dorothy, Lady Stafford
Mistresses of the Robes to Queen AnneAnne became Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland on 8 March 1702, succeeding her brother-in-law, William III of England and II of Scotland...
, 1704-1714
- 1704-1710: Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough
Sarah Churchill , Duchess of Marlborough rose to be one of the most influential women in British history as a result of her close friendship with Queen Anne of Great Britain.Sarah's friendship and influence with Princess Anne was widely known, and leading public...
- 1710-1714: Elizabeth Seymour, Duchess of Somerset
Elizabeth Seymour, Duchess of Somerset was an English courtier and Whig politician.-Early life:Born Elizabeth Percy at Petworth House, she was the only surviving daughter of Lord Percy and his wife, Elizabeth...
Mistresses of the Robes to Caroline, Princess of Wales, later Queen CarolineCaroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach was the queen consort of King George II of Great Britain.-Early life:...
, 1714-1737
- 1714-1717: Diana Beauclerk, Duchess of St Albans
Diana Beauclerk, Duchess of St Albans was born Lady Diana de Vere, the daughter of the 20th Earl of Oxford and Diana Kirke. On 17 April 1694, she married the 1st Duke of St Albans, an illegitimate son of King Charles II and his mistress Nell Gwynne, whereupon Diana became Duchess of St Albans...
- 1717-1723: Vacant?
- 1723-1731: Elizabeth Sackville, Duchess of Dorset
- 1731-1735: Henrietta Howard, Countess of Suffolk
Henrietta Howard , was a mistress of King George II of Great Britain.She was the daughter of Sir Henry Hobart, 4th Baronet, a Norfolk landowner who was killed in a duel when Henrietta was aged eight...
(Dowager Countess of Suffolk from 1733)
- 1735-1737: Vacant
Mistresses of the Robes to Augusta, Princess of Wales, 1736-1763
- 1736-1745: Lady Archibald Hamilton
- 1745-1747: Vacant
- 1747-1763: Grace Sackville, Countess of Middlesex
Mistress of the Robes to Queen CharlotteCharlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was the queen-consort of the United Kingdom as wife of King George III.Queen Charlotte was a patroness of the arts, known to Johann Christian Bach and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, among others. She was also an amateur botanist who helped establish Kew Gardens...
, 1761-1818
- 1761-1793: Mary Bertie, Duchess of Ancaster and Kesteven (Dowager Duchess of Ancaster and Kesteven from 1778)
- 1793-1818: Elizabeth Thynne, Marchioness of Bath (Dowager Marchioness of Bath from 1796)
Mistress of the Robes to Caroline, Princess of WalesCaroline of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was the wife of George IV of the United Kingdom from 1795, and his queen consort from 29 January 1820 until her death.-Early life:...
, 1795-1820
- 1795-1819: Anne Townshend, Marchioness Townshend
Mistress of the Robes to Queen AdelaidePrincess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen was the queen consort of the United Kingdom and of Hanover as spouse of William IV of the United Kingdom. The Australian city of Adelaide is named after her.-Early life:Adelaide was born on 13 August 1792 at Meiningen, Thuringia, Germany...
, 1830-1837
- 1830-1837: Catherine Osborne, Duchess of Leeds
Mistress of the Robes to Queen VictoriaVictoria was the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837, and the first Empress of India of the British Raj from 1 May 1876, until her death...
, 1837-1901
- 1837-1841: Harriet Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland
Harriet Elizabeth Georgiana Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland was born Lady Harriet Howard, daughter of the 6th Earl of Carlisle and his wife Lady Georgiana Cavendish, who was a daughter of the famous Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire...
- 1841-1846: Charlotte Montagu Douglas Scott, Duchess of Buccleuch and Queensberry
- 1846-1852: Harriet Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland
Harriet Elizabeth Georgiana Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland was born Lady Harriet Howard, daughter of the 6th Earl of Carlisle and his wife Lady Georgiana Cavendish, who was a daughter of the famous Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire...
- 1852-1853: Anne Murray, Duchess of Atholl
Anne, Duchess of Atholl was born Anne Home-Drummond, daughter of Henry Home-Drummond of Blair Drummond. On 29 October 1839 she married the second Lord Glenlyon at Blair Drummond, thereby becoming Lady Glenlyon. In 1846 he succeeded his uncle as seventh Duke of Atholl, and Anne became Duchess of...
- 1853-1858: Harriet Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland
Harriet Elizabeth Georgiana Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland was born Lady Harriet Howard, daughter of the 6th Earl of Carlisle and his wife Lady Georgiana Cavendish, who was a daughter of the famous Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire...
- 1858-1859: Louisa Montagu, Duchess of Manchester
Louisa Frederica Augusta Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, formerly Louisa Frederica Augusta Montagu, Duchess of Manchester, née Countess Louisa Frederica Augusta von Alten Louisa Frederica Augusta Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, formerly Louisa Frederica Augusta Montagu, Duchess of Manchester,...
- 1859-1861: Harriet Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland
Harriet Elizabeth Georgiana Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland was born Lady Harriet Howard, daughter of the 6th Earl of Carlisle and his wife Lady Georgiana Cavendish, who was a daughter of the famous Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire...
- 1861-1868: Elizabeth Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington
Elizabeth, Duchess of Wellington was born Lady Elizabeth Hay, a daughter of the eighth Marquess of Tweeddale. One of her brothers was the ornithologist Viscount Walden, and another the Admiral of the Fleet Lord John Hay...
- 1868-1870: Elizabeth Campbell, Duchess of Argyll
Lady Elizabeth Georgiana Leveson-Gower CI VA was the eldest daughter of the 2nd Duke of Sutherland by his wife Harriet Elizabeth Georgiana Howard. She was married on the 31 July 1844 to George Douglas Campbell, Marquess of Lorne, the eldest son of the 7th Duke of Argyll...
- 1870-1874: Anne Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland
Anne Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland , 1st Countess of Cromartie in her own right and known as the Marchioness of Stafford from 1849 to 1861, was a British peeress....
- 1874-1880: Elizabeth Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington
Elizabeth, Duchess of Wellington was born Lady Elizabeth Hay, a daughter of the eighth Marquess of Tweeddale. One of her brothers was the ornithologist Viscount Walden, and another the Admiral of the Fleet Lord John Hay...
- 1880-1883: Elizabeth Russell, Duchess of Bedford
Elizabeth, Duchess of Bedford was born Lady Elizabeth Sackville-West, daughter of the 5th Earl De La Warr and the Countess De La Warr. She acted as a bridesmaid at the marriage of Queen Victoria to Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha on 10 February 1840...
- 1883-1885: Anne Innes-Ker, Duchess of Roxburghe
Anne Emily Innes-Ker, Duchess of Roxburghe VA OBE was born Anne Emily Spencer-Churchill, and was the daughter of the seventh Duke of Marlborough, who served in Conservative governments as Lord President of the Council and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. Her brother Lord Randolph Churchill was a...
- 1885-1886: Louisa Montagu Douglas Scott, Duchess of Buccleuch and Queensberry
- 1886: Vacant
- Acting Mistress of the Robes: Elizabeth Russell, Duchess of Bedford
Elizabeth, Duchess of Bedford was born Lady Elizabeth Sackville-West, daughter of the 5th Earl De La Warr and the Countess De La Warr. She acted as a bridesmaid at the marriage of Queen Victoria to Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha on 10 February 1840...
- 1886-1892: Louisa Montagu Douglas Scott, Duchess of Buccleuch and Queensberry
- 1892-1895: Vacant
- Acting Mistress of the Robes: Anne Innes-Ker, Duchess of Roxburghe
Anne Emily Innes-Ker, Duchess of Roxburghe VA OBE was born Anne Emily Spencer-Churchill, and was the daughter of the seventh Duke of Marlborough, who served in Conservative governments as Lord President of the Council and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. Her brother Lord Randolph Churchill was a...
, and Anne Murray, Dowager Duchess of AthollAnne, Duchess of Atholl was born Anne Home-Drummond, daughter of Henry Home-Drummond of Blair Drummond. On 29 October 1839 she married the second Lord Glenlyon at Blair Drummond, thereby becoming Lady Glenlyon. In 1846 he succeeded his uncle as seventh Duke of Atholl, and Anne became Duchess of...
(jointly)
- 1895-1901: Louisa Montagu Douglas Scott, Duchess of Buccleuch and Queensberry
Mistress of the Robes to Queen AlexandraAlexandra of Denmark was Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Empress of India from 1901 to 1910 as the consort of Edward VII....
, 1901-1925
- 1901-1912: Louisa Montagu Douglas Scott, Duchess of Buccleuch and Queensberry
- 1913-1925: Winifred Cavendish-Bentinck, Duchess of Portland
Winifred Anna Dallas-Yorke, Duchess of Portland, DBE, JP was a British humanitarian and animal rights activist.-Background:...
Mistress of the Robes to Queen MaryMary of Teck was Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Empress of India as the consort of King-Emperor George V. By birth, she was a princess of Teck, in the Kingdom of Württemberg, with the style Serene Highness...
, 1910-1953
- 1910-1916: Evelyn Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire
Evelyn Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire was born Lady Evelyn Emily Mary FitzMaurice, the daughter of the 5th Marquess of Lansdowne and his wife, Maud....
- 1916-1921: Eileen Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland
Eileen Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland was born Lady Eileen Gwladys Butler, the daughter of the 7th Earl of Lanesborough. She was married on 11 April 1912 to the Marquess of Stafford, who succeeded his father as the 5th Duke of Sutherland in 1913, whereupon Eileen became Duchess of...
- 1921-1953: Evelyn Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire
Evelyn Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire was born Lady Evelyn Emily Mary FitzMaurice, the daughter of the 5th Marquess of Lansdowne and his wife, Maud....
(Dowager Duchess of Devonshire from 1938)
Mistress of the Robes to Queen Elizabeth, later Queen Elizabeth the Queen MotherElizabeth Bowes-Lyon was Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions from 1936 until 1952 as the wife of King George VI. After her husband's death, she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to avoid confusion with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II...
, 1937-2002
- 1937-1964: Helen Percy, Duchess of Northumberland
Helen Percy, Duchess of Northumberland, GCVO was born as Helen Magdalan Gordon-Lennox, the daughter of the Earl of March and Kinrara ....
(Dowager Duchess of Northumberland from 1946)
- 1964-1990: Kathleen Hamilton, Duchess of Abercorn
Kathleen Hamilton, Duchess of Abercorn, DCVO was Mistress of the Robes to Queen Elizabeth from 1964 to her death in 1990...
(Dowager Duchess of Abercorn from 1979)
- 1990–2002: Vacant
Mistress of the Robes to Queen Elizabeth IIElizabeth II is the queen regnant of sixteen independent states known informally as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,...
, 1953-present
- 1953-1967: Mary Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire
Mary Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, GCVO, CBE was born Lady Mary Alice Gascoyne-Cecil, daughter of James Gascoyne-Cecil, 4th Marquess of Salisbury...
- 1967-: Fortune FitzRoy, Duchess of Grafton
Fortune FitzRoy, Duchess of Grafton GCVO was born Ann Fortune Smith, the daughter of Captain Evan Cadogan Eric Smith, born in 1894, and his wife Beatrice Helen Williams, married in 1917...