Hedvig "Hedda" Catharina Piper née ''Ekeblad'' (1746–1812) was a Swedish courtier; ''

överhovmästarinna Court Mistress ( da, hofmesterinde; nl, hofmeesteres; german: Hofmeisterin; no, hoffmesterinne; sv, hovmästarinna) or Chief Court Mistress ( da, Overhofmesterinde; ('grand mistress'); ; no, overhoffmesterinne; sv, överhovmästarinna; russia ...

'' (Mistress of the Robes) to the queen of Sweden,

Frederica of Baden Princess Frederica Dorothea Wilhelmina of Baden (12 March 1781 – 25 September 1826) was Queen of Sweden from 1797 to 1809 as the consort of King Gustav IV Adolf. Life Early life Frederica of Baden was born in Karlsruhe in the Grand Duchy of Ba ...

, from 1795 to 1805. Born to count Claes Ekeblad the Younger and

Eva Ekeblad Eva Ekeblad (née De la Gardie; 10 July 1724 – 15 May 1786) was a Swedish countess, salon hostess, agronomist, and scientist. She was widely known for discovering a method in 1746 to make alcohol and flour from potatoes, allowing greater use ...

, she married count Carl Gustaf Piper in 1769. The marriage was unhappy because of the homosexual love affair between her husband and his manservant Beck, "as she daily finds herself compromised by his manservant, has no voice to command in her own house"Erdmann, Nils, Vid hovet och på adelsgodsen i 1700-talets Sverige: en tidskrönika, Wahlströms, Stockholm, 1926 because Beck: "embarrassed her in every way. She was even forced to personally buy food for her last child, as she couldn't even order broth in her own kitchen without being contradicted by The Beck", and the love affair between Beck and her spouse continued to be one of the scandals of the era until Beck's death in 1788, when it was said that "she did miss him in some aspects, as he did take her side in some rows. For her children he did anything, and as his authority was so great he was a powerful ally to have." It is noted that the famed

Sophie Hagman Anna Sophia "Sophie" Hagman, '' née'' Anna Kristina "Stina" Hagman (31 December 1758, in Eskilstuna, Södermanland, Sweden – 6 May 1826, in Stockholm, Sweden), was a Swedish ballet dancer. She was the official royal mistress to Prince Frede ...

was employed as a maid in her household prior to becoming the mistress of Prince Frederick Adolph. Hedda Piper served as ''

statsfru A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...

'' (

Lady of the Bedchamber Lady of the Bedchamber is the title of a lady-in-waiting holding the official position of personal attendant on a British queen regnant or queen consort. The position is traditionally held by the wife of a peer. They are ranked between the Mis ...

) to

the queen In the English-speaking world, The Queen most commonly refers to: * Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death The Queen may also refer to: * Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), ...

from 1774 to '80, and was appointed ''

hovmästarinna Court Mistress ( da, hofmesterinde; nl, hofmeesteres; german: Hofmeisterin; no, hoffmesterinne; sv, hovmästarinna) or Chief Court Mistress ( da, Overhofmesterinde; ('grand mistress'); ; no, overhoffmesterinne; sv, överhovmästarinna; russia ...

'' (Deputy Mistress of the Robes) under

Charlotta Sparre Charlotta "Lotta" Fredrika Sparre (1719 – 20 December 1795, Stockholm), commonly named Lotta Sparre, was a Swedish noble and courtier. Life Early life Lotta Sparre was the daughter of Baron Fredrik Henrik Sparre and Virginia Christina Lillie ...

in 1780. As Sparre was usually indisposed, Piper performed the actual duties of the office for fifteen years before she formally succeeded Sparre in her official role as ''överhovmästarinna'' in 1795. Duchess Charlotte portrays her in her famous journal as quite pretty but uneducated, arrogant, unable to keep anything in confidence or control her temperament, and claims that she became disliked at court because of her way of handling her office during her service to

, queen consort of Sweden.Cecilia af Klercker (1927). Hedvig Elisabeth Charlottas dagbok VI (1797–1799). Stockholm: Norstedt & Söners förlag. Libris 8207715 After the arrival of Frederica in Sweden in 1797, Hedda Piper was blamed for having contributed to the new queen's difficulty to adjust to her new home country by claiming that it was against the etiquette for the queen to speak to anyone unless encouraged to do so by her head lady-in-waiting (Piper), which was in fact not at all in accordance with court protocol, and served to make the queen socially isolated and dependent upon Piper. Reportedly, the queen also complained to Charlotte that Piper treated the younger ladies-in-waiting too severely. However, Piper, in collaboration with the king's confidant Fabian Wrede, also contributed to establishing reconciliation between the king and the queen during their initial difficulty in getting to know each other. She was replaced by

Louise von Fersen Lovisa Sofia "''Louise'' Sophie" von Fersen, née Piper (26 October 1777 – 4 January 1849), was a Swedish countess and courtier. Louise von Fersen was the daughter of court chamberlain Sten Abraham Piper and Catharina Ehrensvärd, who had been ' ...

in 1805.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Piper, Hedda 1746 births 1812 deaths 18th-century Swedish people Mistresses of the Robes (Sweden) Gustavian era people Court of Gustav III