A Queen's Daily Life

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 452, 8 March 1890, Page 5

A Queen's Daily Life

The inner life of the court has ttle in it to tempt a sybarite—simplicity, dutifulness, conscientious performance of work aro its characteristics. At nine her Majesty breakfasts alone., unless some of her children, grandchildren or personal friends are staying in the palace, and she is rarely without them. In summer, at Osborne, Windsor or Balmoral, this meal is generally served out of doors, in some alcove, tent or summer house, after which the queen either drives in a small pony carriage, accompanied by one of the princesses, or she walks, attended by a lady-in-waiting, or maid of honour, with whom she converses with friendly ease, and followed by two Highland servants and some favourite dogs. Luncheon is served at two, the convives being her Majesty’s family or royal guests. Until this hour, from her short after-break-fast exercise the queen is diligently occupied with official correspondence and business of various kinds. Long training has made her a politician of no mean ability and breadth of view, her natural common sense forming an admirable basis for such a superstructure. It assists, too, in enabling her to choose friends well and wisely, though the court surroundings are not calculated to hoip royal personages in forming a just judgment of character. Human nature puts on a somewhat too angelic guise where everything may be won by amiability and nothing by reverse. In the mornings the maids of honor (they are nine in all) in waiting for the time are with the princesses, reading or practicing on the piano, singing or playing lawn tennis with them, as any young ladies, companions together, might. The lady-in-waiting accompanies the queen in her afternoon drives and visits, which are most frequently to the poor and to humble workers, often to simple gentry or any one in trouble. Afterward this lady reads to her Majesty in her private sitting room. The royal dinner hour is 8.30, and-that meal is shared by those of the royal family then residing with the queen, by distinguished visitors ar.d some of the household in rotation, viz: lord and ladies-in-waiting, maids of honour, equerries and grooms in waiting, this latter official holding a considerably lower position than the equerry, though to the uninstructed itsounds like a distinction without a difference.

The queen, says a recent letter, is a woman of strict business habits and steady application, the amount of correspondence she gets through is enormous. In the private portion of this correspondence Her Majesty is assisted by her private secretary, a lady-in-waiting, and a maid of honour, especially the dowager Marchioness of Ely, one of the ladies, who is a valued friend.

When the court is at Windsor the members of the household in attendance are one lady-in-waiting (these ladies are always peeresses), two maids of honor, a lord-in-waiting, two equerries, the groomin-waib-ing, also the keeper of the privy purse, the private secretary, assistants in both de? partments and the master of the household. The attendance is the same at Osborne and Balmoral with the exception of the lord-ip-waiting. To attend to her Majesty’s toilet and wardrobe there are five maids, viz., three dressers and two wardrobe women. The senior dresser, who has been many years with her Majesty, is specially charged with the task of conveying orders to different tradespeople jewellers, drapers, dressmakers, etc.; one dresser and one wardrobe woman in constant attendance on the queen, taking alternato days,