The mistress of the robes was the senior lady in the Royal Household of the United Kingdom, who would, by appointment, attend on the queen (whether queen regnant or a queen consort). Queens dowager retained their own mistresses of the robes. In the 18th century, the princesses of Wales had one, too.
Initially responsible for the queen's clothes and jewellery as the name implies, the post-holder latterly had the responsibility for arranging the rota of attendance of the ladies-in-waiting on the queen, attending herself on more formal occasions, and undertaking duties at state ceremonies. During the 17th and 18th centuries, this role often overlapped with or was replaced as first lady of the bedchamber. In modern times, the mistress of the robes was almost always a duchess.
In the past, whenever the queen was a queen regnant, the mistress of the robes was a political appointment, changing with the government. This has not been the case since the death of Queen Victoria in 1901. Queen Elizabeth II had only two mistresses of the robes over her seventy year reign.
Since the accession of King Charles III no mistress of the robes has been appointed. In November 2022, it was announced that Queen Camilla would end the tradition of having ladies-in-waiting. Instead, she will be helped by "Queen's companions"; their role will be informal and they will not be involved in replying to letters or developing schedules.
Contents
List of mistresses of the robes by queen or princess of Wales
Mary I, 1553–1558
1553–1558: Susan Clarencieux
Elizabeth I, 1558–1603
1559/1562–1603: Dorothy, Lady Stafford
Anne of Denmark, 1603–1619
1603–1619: Audrey Walsingham
Henrietta Maria of France, 1625–1669
1626–1652: Susan Feilding, Countess of Denbigh (also called First Lady of the Bedchamber)
1653–1669: Elizabeth Fielding Boyle, Countess of Guilford
Catherine of Braganza, 1662–1692
1660–1692: Position vacant, replaced by a First Lady of the Bedchamber
Mary of Modena, 1673–1688
1673–1688: Position vacant, replaced by a First Lady of the Bedchamber
Mary II, 1688–1694
1688–1694: Lady Elizabeth Butler, Countess of Derby
Anne, 1704–1714
1704–1711: Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough
1711–1714: Elizabeth Seymour, Duchess of Somerset
Caroline of Ansbach, 1714–1737
1714–1717: Diana Beauclerk, Duchess of St Albans
1717–1723: Possibly vacant
1723–1731: Elizabeth Sackville, Duchess of Dorset
1731–1735: Henrietta Howard, Countess of Suffolk (Dowager Countess of Suffolk from 1733)
1735–1737: Position vacant
Augusta of Saxe-Gotha, 1736–1763
1736–1745: Lady Archibald Hamilton
1745–1747: Position vacant
1747–1763: Grace Sackville, Countess of Middlesex
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, 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)
Caroline of Brunswick, 1795–1821
1795–1808: Anne Townshend, Marchioness Townshend
1808–1817: Catherine Douglas, Baroness Glenbervie
1817–1821: Possibly vacant
Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen, 1830–1837
1830–1830: Elizabeth Gordon, Duchess of Gordon
1830–1837: Catherine Osborne, Duchess of Leeds
Victoria, 1837–1901
1837–1841: Harriet Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland
1841–1846: Charlotte Montagu Douglas Scott, Duchess of Buccleuch and Queensberry
1846–1852: Harriet Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland
1852–1853: Anne Murray, Duchess of Atholl
1853–1858: Harriet Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland
1858–1859: Louisa Montagu, Duchess of Manchester
1859–1861: Harriet Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland
1861–1868: Elizabeth Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington
1868–1870: Elizabeth Campbell, Duchess of Argyll
1870–1874: Anne Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland
1874–1880: Elizabeth Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington
1880–1883: Elizabeth Russell, Duchess of Bedford
1883–1885: Anne Innes-Ker, Duchess of Roxburghe
1885–1886: Louisa Montagu Douglas Scott, Duchess of Buccleuch and Queensberry
1886: Position vacant
Acting mistress of the robes: Elizabeth Russell, Duchess of Bedford
Alexandra of Denmark, 1901–1925
1901–1912: Louisa Montagu Douglas Scott, Duchess of Buccleuch and Queensberry
1913–1925: Winifred Cavendish-Bentinck, Duchess of Portland
Mary of Teck, 1910–1953
1910–1916: Evelyn Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire
1916–1921: Eileen Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland
1921–1953: Evelyn Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (Dowager Duchess of Devonshire from 1938)
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, 1937–2002
1937–1964: Helen Percy, Duchess of Northumberland (Dowager Duchess of Northumberland from 1946)
1964–1990: Kathleen Hamilton, Duchess of Abercorn (Dowager Duchess of Abercorn from 1979)
1990–2002: Position vacant
Elizabeth II, 1953–2022
1953–1967: Mary Cavendish, Dowager Duchess of Devonshire
1967–2021: Fortune FitzRoy, Duchess of Grafton (Countess of Euston until 1970, Dowager Duchess of Grafton from 2011)
2021–2022: Position vacant