According to rumours, the Prince and Princess of Wales will not be the only members of the monarchy to take on new roles when King Charles III transfers the baton in the coming years.
Sure, 43-year-old William will ascend to the throne, and wife Kate will sit beside him as queen. Their children, George, 11, Charlotte, 10, and Louis, 7, will also receive several new titles.
Interestingly, despite Kate, 43, marrying into the institution, her family will benefit from her and William’s success, particularly her younger sister, Pippa.
Despite being married to billionaire, businessman, and heir to a Scottish feudal title, James Matthews, 41, has no official aristocratic rank.
When her older sister becomes queen, it is quite likely that Kate would name Pippa her formal ‘Lady in Waiting’.
And, while this may appear to be an antique position, having originated in the 9th century (the Middle Ages) and being predominantly used throughout the Tudor and Georgian eras, it is still very much alive and used at the discretion of the queen at the time.
Traditionally, the ‘Lady in Waiting’ post is assigned to a woman from the royal court or a high-ranking noblewoman, and should be viewed as a close friend or secretary rather than a mistress or servant.
According to PEOPLE Magazine, Pippa isn’t the only one who may receive an impressive honor in the coming years; their mother, Carol, is also rumored to be in the running to become one of Kate’s official ‘companions’, a redesigned version of Camilla’s ladies in waiting.
She cast six women for the role: Sarah Troughton, Fiona, the Marchioness of Lansdowne, Lady Katharine Brooke, Baroness Carlyn Chisholm, Lady Sarah Kewick, and Jane von Westenholz.
According to Today, the responsibilities of this role include’supporting the Queen at formal engagements’ and assisting her ‘together with her private secretary and deputy private secretary’.
Camilla reportedly has two unofficial ‘Ladies in Waiting’ who operate mostly behind the scenes rather than attending royal engagements.
An insider told The Mail of this matter: “When she got married and set up her own office for the first time, she got two brilliant private secretaries, Amanda Macmanus and Joy Camm.
“But they were very much ‘two for the price of one.’ Not only did they arrange all her engagements and projects, but they also acted as ladies-in-waiting if needed, accompanying her on official duties, collecting bouquets of flowers and the like.
“No one stands on ceremony in her office, everyone mucks in.”
