When the Dowager Duchess of Grafton died at the remarkable age of 101 in December 2021, she quietly marked the end of an era. Fortune FitzRoy had served as Mistress of the Robes for more than half a century – an emblem of continuity in the Royal Household under Queen Elizabeth II. Yet, nearly four years on, the role she occupied for such a long period of time has remained conspicuously vacant.
The office of Mistress of the Robes, with roots stretching back to 1553 and the reign of Mary I, has now fallen out of active use. First bestowed upon Susan Clarencieux, the title once denoted the most senior lady in the Queen’s retinue – a figure of both ceremonial importance and quiet influence. She was responsible for overseeing the rota of ladies-in-waiting, assisting with state dress and jewellery, and serving as a courtier of unimpeachable rank. The role was traditionally filled by a duchess.
Queen Elizabeth II, who acceded to the throne in 1952, relied on just two women in that role across her reign. Mary Cavendish, the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire, served from 1953 until 1967. Thereafter, the Duchess of Grafton assumed the post, holding it until her death. Throughout her service, she remained a discreet and loyal presence at the monarch’s side – rarely in the spotlight but deeply embedded in the structure of the court.
Despite the vacancy, Queen Elizabeth declined to appoint a successor, and the role remained unfilled for the final year of her life. It is under Queen Camilla, however, that the post now appears to have slipped permanently into history.
In November 2022, Buckingham Palace announced that Queen Camilla would not be retaining the traditional system of ladies-in-waiting. Instead, six close friends were named as “Queen’s Companions” – a modernised position designed more for companionship and support during official engagements than for administrative or ceremonial duties. The move was in keeping with the palace’s broader streamlining of the Royal Household.
With no ladies-in-waiting to manage, the function of a Mistress of the Robes became, by definition, obsolete.
Though once synonymous with aristocratic grandeur – organising coronation regalia, state attire, and court appearances – the Mistress of the Robes has quietly passed into redundancy. There has been no official statement from the Palace regarding the status of the role, but within royal circles, it is now widely accepted that it will not be revived.
The disappearance of the office may well reflect a shift in the monarchy’s tone under King Charles III and Queen Camilla: less gilded, less beholden to courtly ritual, and more attuned to the tempo of modern public service. In that light, the withdrawal of the Mistress of the Robes is not a loss, but an evolution.
Even so, for historians and royal watchers, the retirement of a position held continuously for nearly five centuries signals more than administrative change – it represents the quiet fading of a chapter in Britain’s ceremonial history. Where once duchesses governed the rhythms of court life, now companions provide discreet support without the heraldry.
