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.

List of mistresses of the robes by queen or princess of Wales Mary I, 1553–1558 1553–1558: Susan ClarencieuxG. A. Bergenroth, P. De Gayangos, and others, Calendar of letters, despatches, and state papers, relating to the negotiations between England and Spain, 13 vols., (1862–1954); M. A. S. Hume, Calendar of letters and state papers, relating to English affairs, preserved in the archives of Simancas, 4 vols., (1892–9)

Elizabeth I, 1558–1603 1559/1562–1603: Dorothy, Lady Stafford

Anne of Denmark, 1603–1619 1603–1619: Audrey WalsinghamCarole Levin, Anna Riehl Bertolet: [A Biographical Encyclopedia of Early Modern Englishwomen: Exemplary Lives and Memorable Acts, 1500-1650], New York, 2017

Henrietta Maria of France, 1625–1669 1626–1652: Susan Feilding, Countess of Denbigh (also called First Lady of the Bedchamber)Sandy Riley, Charlotte de La Trémoïlle, the Notorious Countess of Derby 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 MarlboroughCokayne et al., The Complete Peerage, volume VIII, p.496 1711–1714: Elizabeth Seymour, Duchess of SomersetCokayne et al., The Complete Peerage, volume I, p.212

Caroline of Ansbach, 1714–1737 1714–1717: Diana Beauclerk, Duchess of St AlbansWeir, Alison, Britain's Royal Family: A Complete Genealogy, The Bodley Head, 1999, p.265 1717–1723: Possibly vacant 1723–1731: Elizabeth Sackville, Duchess of DorsetCokayne et al., The Complete Peerage, volume XII/2, p.589 1731–1735: Henrietta Howard, Countess of Suffolk (Dowager Countess of Suffolk from 1733)Institute of Historical Research 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 SutherlandThe London Gazette, 29 August 1837, p.15 1841–1846: Charlotte Montagu Douglas Scott, Duchess of Buccleuch and QueensberryThe London Gazette, 10 September 1841, p.1 1846–1852: Harriet Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of SutherlandThe London Gazette, 10 July 1846 , p.5 1852–1853: Anne Murray, Duchess of AthollThe London Gazette, 16 March 1852, p.2 1853–1858: Harriet Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of SutherlandThe London Gazette, 18 January 1853, p.5 1858–1859: Louisa Montagu, Duchess of ManchesterThe London Gazette, 5 March 1858, p.2 1859–1861: Harriet Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of SutherlandThe London Gazette, 24 June 1859, p.3 1861–1868: Elizabeth Wellesley, Duchess of WellingtonThe London Gazette, 26 April 1861, p.2 1868–1870: Elizabeth Campbell, Duchess of ArgyllThe London Gazette, 22 December 1868, p.1 1870–1874: Anne Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of SutherlandThe London Gazette, 25 January 1870, p.1 1874–1880: Elizabeth Wellesley, Duchess of WellingtonThe London Gazette, 3 March 1874, p.6 1880–1883: Elizabeth Russell, Duchess of BedfordThe London Gazette, 7 May 1880, p.5 1883–1885: Anne Innes-Ker, Duchess of RoxburgheThe London Gazette, 12 January 1883, p.6 1885–1886: Louisa Montagu Douglas Scott, Duchess of Buccleuch and QueensberryThe London Gazette, 27 June 1885, p.6 1886: Position vacant Acting mistress of the robes: Elizabeth Russell, Duchess of Bedford 1886–1892: Louisa Montagu Douglas Scott, Duchess of Buccleuch and QueensberryThe London Gazette, 3 September 1886, p.4 1892–1895: Position vacant Acting mistress of the robes: Anne Innes-Ker, Duchess of Roxburghe, and Anne Murray, Dowager Duchess of Atholl (jointly) 1894: Position vacant Acting mistress of the robes: Louisa McDonnell, Countess of Antrim 1895–1901: Louisa Montagu Douglas Scott, Duchess of Buccleuch and QueensberryThe London Gazette, 16 July 1895, p.24

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 DevonshireThe London Gazette, 21 June 1910, p.1 1916–1921: Eileen Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of SutherlandThe London Gazette, 14 November 1916, p.1 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)The London Gazette, 5 March 1937, p.2 1964–1990: Kathleen Hamilton, Duchess of Abercorn (Dowager Duchess of Abercorn from 1979)The London Gazette, 17 April 1964, p.1 1990–2002: Position vacant

Elizabeth II, 1953–2022 1953–1967: Mary Cavendish, Dowager Duchess of DevonshireThe London Gazette, 20 January 1953, p.1 1967–2021: Fortune FitzRoy, Duchess of Grafton (Countess of Euston until 1970, Dowager Duchess of Grafton from 2011) 2021–2022: Position vacant

See also Chief Court Mistress, Dutch, German, Scandinavian and Russian equivalent Camarera mayor de Palacio, Spanish equivalent Première dame d'honneur, French equivalent Surintendante de la Maison de la Reine, French equivalent

References