Instead of having the traditional 'ladies-in-waiting', it has been announced that Camilla, the Queen Consort will instead be assisted by 'Queen's companions'. Along with the new modern title, the six women who assist the Queen Consort will be required less regularly than in the previous role.
History of ladies-in-waitings
The role of lady-in-waiting was a feature of court life back in the middle ages where personal helpers of a Queen would typically come from aristocratic families.
The ladies-in-waiting would each have had their own duties such as helping to dress and style the royal as well as correspondence or administration.
Queen Elizabeth's ladies-in-waiting
Following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, her ladies-in-waiting remain part of the royal household but are now known as "ladies of the household". They will help King Charles host events at Buckingham Palace.
Why won't Queen Camilla have ladies-in-waiting?
Since beginning their reign, the King and Queen Consort have made a number of changes to modernise the monarchy and as the women chosen for this role are usually close friends of the royal family, the Queen Consort has decided to instead refer to them as 'Queen's companions'.
The role has been newly slimmed down and according to Buckingham Palace the role: "will be to support The Queen Consort in some of her key official and State duties, in addition to her Private Secretary/Deputy Private Secretary."
Just like the previous ladies-in-waiting role, the position is unpaid and is a life-long appointment.
Who are the Queen's companions?
The six Queen's companions are:
Sarah Troughton: As well as being a close friend of Camilla's, Sarah is also King Charles' second cousin and was a lady-in-waiting to Katherine, Duchess of Kent for ten years.
The Marchioness of Lansdowne: Fiona Petty-Fitzmaurice is a British peeress and interior designer and is married to Charles Petty-Fitzmaurice, Earl of Shelburne. The family are close friends of King Charles and Camilla.
Lady Katharine Brooke: The daughter of Lady Susan Hussey who was lady-in-waiting to the Queen for more than 60 years, Lady Katherine recently hit headlines due to her racist comments towards Ngozi Fulani, the founder of Sistah Space charity. She later offered a public apology.
Baroness Chisholm: A British life peeress and member of the House of Lords, where she currently sits as a Crossbencher, Caroline Elizabeth Chisholm resigned as the Conservative Whip when she took on the role of the Queen's companion.
Lady Sarah Keswick: Believed to have known the royal couple since King Charles and Camilla first met in the 1970s, Sarah is one of Camilla's oldest friends and shares her passion for horses. She is commonly seen publicly with Camilla and has sat with her in the Wimbledon royal box on numerous occasions.
Jane von Westenholz: The daughter of Arthur Edmund Leveson and Margaret Ruth Maude, Jane is the mother of Violet von Westenholz, who introduced Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.
Their first appearance with Queen Camilla was at a reception for those working to combat domestic violence and violence against women.