In the same year that her husband Prince Philip died, Queen Elizabeth II also lost two of her most loyal aides.
Following the death of her former Mistress of the Robes, Ann Fortune FitzRoy, the Duchess of Grafton, on December 3, the queen’s Lady of the Bedchamber since 1987, Diana Maxwell, Lady Farnham, died aged 90 last Wednesday, after 34 years as a lady-in-waiting.
Lady Farnham became the queen’s Lady of the Bedchamber in 1987, accompanying her on many tours during her 44 years of service, for which she was appointed Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) in 1998 in recognition of her personal service.
Remembered as a “dear friend”, FitzRoy was one of only two Mistress of the Robes during the queen’s reign, and was responsible for her clothing and jewellery. The queen is also godmother to Maxwell’s second daughter.
The closest courtiers to the queen and king’s consort used to be men, and all the positions were politically motivated. It wasn’t until the Renaissance, when women played a more significant role at court, that female entourages increased in line with their power and influence.
Famously, three of Henry VIII’s six wives were ladies in waiting, with Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, and Catherine Howard each the lady-in-waiting to the queen they would replace.
What is a lady-in-waiting?
In Britain, ladies-in-waiting are titled noblewomen who serve not only the queen, but also high-ranking women in the royal household. Kate Middleton has one, while the queen’s sister Princess Margaret had many.
Queen Elizabeth II herself had nine before the Duchess of Grafton and Lady Farnham died, with seven remaining, including Susan Rhodes, Lady Elizabeth Leeming, The Hon Mary Morrison and Virginia Ogilvy, Countess of Airlie.
Although they do not live at Buckingham Palace, they sometimes stay there or in royal apartments in London should their duties require it.
What do ladies-in-waiting do?
Ladies-in-waiting are close, often childhood friends of the monarch, and come from titled families whose lineages stretch back alongside royalty. They act as personal assistants to the queen, assisting in day-to-day activities such as running errands, delivering messages and organising correspondence, as well as attending to personal matters, and accompanying her on royal tours and visits.
“They were dear friends who supported the queen on official duties,” a source told The Telegraph. “Unfortunately, a sad consequence of living a long life is that you have to say goodbye to a lot of people you care about.”
What do their different titles mean?
A lady-in-waiting attending to the queen is usually called Lady of the Bedchamber and they are ranked between First Lady of the Bedchamber and the Women of the Bedchamber, each carrying out various duties.
The Mistress of the Robes is almost always a duchess and the senior woman in the royal household. She is responsible for the regent’s clothes and jewellery, arranging the rota of attendance of the ladies-in-waiting and other duties at state ceremonies.
Cara Delevingne’s lady-in-waiting grandmother
British actress and model Cara Delevingne counts a royal connection in her lineage, as her maternal grandmother, Jane Sheffield, was a lady-in-waiting for Princess Margaret. The Paper Towns star’s paternal grandmother, Angela Delevingne, was also friendly with the teenage Prince Philip.
Another famous lady-in-waiting was Lady Anne Glenconner, whose husband Colin Tennant, Lord Glenconner bought the island of Mustique back in 1958. She served as lady-in-waiting to her childhood friend Princess Margaret, and published a book in 2020, at the age of 87, about her experiences, called Lady In Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown.
Some of her revelations included the visit to Swaziland, where Princess Margaret and her party were housed in a brothel, and the issue of where to pin a medal, sent by the queen, on a half-naked tribal ruler. She also referred to attending to the princess' “royal moments”, such as learning to swim doggy-paddle sideways so that Margaret, doing breaststroke, could carry on a conversation with her in the pool.
What is dialysis?
Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.
It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.
There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.
In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.
In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.
It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.
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Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
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Other ways to buy used products in the UAE
UAE insurance firm Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC) last year launched an e-commerce website with a facility enabling users to buy car wrecks.
Bidders and potential buyers register on the online salvage car auction portal to view vehicles, review condition reports, or arrange physical surveys, and then start bidding for motors they plan to restore or harvest for parts.
Physical salvage car auctions are a common method for insurers around the world to move on heavily damaged vehicles, but AWNIC is one of the few UAE insurers to offer such services online.
For cars and less sizeable items such as bicycles and furniture, Dubizzle is arguably the best-known marketplace for pre-loved.
Founded in 2005, in recent years it has been joined by a plethora of Facebook community pages for shifting used goods, including Abu Dhabi Marketplace, Flea Market UAE and Arabian Ranches Souq Market while sites such as The Luxury Closet and Riot deal largely in second-hand fashion.
At the high-end of the pre-used spectrum, resellers such as Timepiece360.ae, WatchBox Middle East and Watches Market Dubai deal in authenticated second-hand luxury timepieces from brands such as Rolex, Hublot and Tag Heuer, with a warranty.
More coverage from the Future Forum
INVESTMENT PLEDGES
Cartlow: $13.4m
Rabbitmart: $14m
Smileneo: $5.8m
Soum: $4m
imVentures: $100m
Plug and Play: $25m
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE)
Matches can be watched on BeIN Sports
Five expert hiking tips
Always check the weather forecast before setting off
Make sure you have plenty of water
Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
Take your litter home with you
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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The Old Slave and the Mastiff
Patrick Chamoiseau
Translated from the French and Creole by Linda Coverdale
The biog
Name: Abeer Al Shahi
Emirate: Sharjah – Khor Fakkan
Education: Master’s degree in special education, preparing for a PhD in philosophy.
Favourite activities: Bungee jumping
Favourite quote: “My people and I will not settle for anything less than first place” – Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid.
AWARDS
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