A
lady-in-waiting is a female
personal assistant at a court,
royal or
feudal, attending on a queen (either if she is the
queen regent or the
queen consort), a
princess, or a high-ranking
noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman from a family in "good society", but who was of lower rank than the woman on whom she attended. Although she may or may not have received compensation for the service she rendered, a lady-in-waiting was considered more of a
companion to her
mistress than a
servant.
