Drawingroom-ceremony-of-presentations-31-Mar-1860

The Queen Charlotte's Ball is an annual British

debutante ball A debutante, also spelled débutante ( ; from , ), or deb is a young woman of aristocratic or upper-class family background who has reached maturity and is presented to society at a formal "debut" ( , ; ) or possibly debutante ball. Original ...

. The ball was founded in 1780 by

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...

as a birthday celebration in honour of his wife,

Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Sophia Charlotte; 19 May 1744 – 17 November 1818) was List of British royal consorts, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland as the wife of King George III from their marriage on 8 September 1761 until her ...

, for whom the ball is named. The Queen Charlotte's Ball originally served as a fundraiser for the Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital. The annual ball continued after Queen Charlotte's death in 1818, but was criticised by the

British royal family The British royal family comprises Charles III and other members of his family. There is no strict legal or formal definition of who is or is not a member, although the Royal Household has issued different lists outlining who is considere ...

in the 1950s and 1960s and folded in 1976. It was revived in the 21st century by Jennie Hallam-Peel, a former debutante, who shifted its focus from entering high society to teaching business skills, networking, and etiquette, and fundraising for charities. Debutantes being presented curtsey to a large birthday cake in honour of Queen Charlotte.

History

The Queen Charlotte's Ball is named after

. The first ball was hosted in 1780 by Charlotte's husband, King

, in honour of her birthday. The Queen stood next to a giant birthday cake and debutantes curtseyed to her. Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz funded a London women's hospital, later named the Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital, with funds raised from the ball. The ball, which continued to take place annually in celebration of the queen's birthday, became the premier debutante ball of the London Season. After Queen Charlotte's death in 1818, the ball continued to be hosted by the British sovereign and

consort __NOTOC__ Consort may refer to: Music * "The Consort" (Rufus Wainwright song), from the 2000 album ''Poses'' * Consort of instruments, term for instrumental ensembles * Consort song (musical), a characteristic English song form, late 16th–earl ...

. Young women from

noble A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Glacier, King George Island * Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Noble Peak, Wiencke Island * Noble Rocks, Graham Land Australia * Noble Island, Gr ...

and

gentry Gentry (from Old French , from ) are "well-born, genteel and well-bred people" of high social class, especially in the past. ''Gentry'', in its widest connotation, refers to people of good social position connected to Landed property, landed es ...

families were presented as debutantes to the

royal court A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word ''court'' may also be app ...

. After being presented at court, debutantes were allowed to partake in all the exclusive social diversions of

high society High society, sometimes simply Society, is the behavior and lifestyle of people with the highest levels of wealth, power, fame and social status. It includes their related affiliations, social events and practices. Upscale social clubs were open ...

: attending parties, balls, and horse races, and being eligible for marriage. Debutantes presented at Queen Charlotte's Ball would curtsey to the reigning sovereign as he or she stood beside a large birthday cake. In the late 1950s the

Duke of Edinburgh Duke of Edinburgh, named after the capital city of Scotland, Edinburgh, is a substantive title that has been created four times since 1726 for members of the British royal family. It does not include any territorial landholdings and does not pr ...

referred to the ball as "bloody daft" and insisted that it no longer be held at

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...

Princess Margaret Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. She was the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth II. ...

reportedly disapproved of the ball (she is said to have complained that: "Every tart in London is getting in"), particularly that candidates were bribing former debutantes to sponsor them, as a sponsorship was required in order to participate. In 1958

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

announced she would no longer have debutantes presented at court. In the 1960s and 1970s the participation in debutante balls around the United Kingdom dropped, leading to the Queen Charlotte's Ball folding in 1976.

21st-century revival

The Queen Charlotte's Ball was revived in the early 21st century by Jennie Hallam-Peel, a former debutante, who works as an attorney and runs a company called The London Season. Peter Townend, social editor of ''

Tatler ''Tatler'' (stylised in all caps) is a British magazine published by Condé Nast Publications. It focuses on fashion and lifestyle, as well as coverage of high society and politics. It is targeted towards the British upper and upper-middle c ...

'', reportedly asked Hallam-Peel to "keep the Season alive" prior to his death in 2001. She began touring London's elite private day schools and selecting students as debutante recruits. The modern ball's focus shifted from entering high society to teaching business skills, networking, etiquette, and fundraising for charities. While originally exclusive to members of the British nobility and gentry, the ball now includes debutantes from the British

upper middle class In sociology, the upper middle class is the social group constituted by higher status members of the middle class. This is in contrast to the term '' lower middle class'', which is used for the group at the opposite end of the middle-class stra ...

and from foreign countries. Many debutantes are from

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural and socio-economic connotations. Its eastern boundary is marked by the Ural Mountain ...

and

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

. Debutantes are required to be preparing for or already enrolled at a university. The debutantes are also required to partake in the traditional London season, including the

Henley Royal Regatta Henley Royal Regatta (or Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage) is a Rowing (sport), rowing event held annually on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. It was established on 26 March 1839. It diffe ...

Royal Ascot Ascot Racecourse is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, about 25 miles west of London. Ascot is used for thoroughbred horse racing, and it hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 races and three Gra ...

, and the

Glyndebourne Festival Opera Glyndebourne Festival Opera is an annual opera festival held at Glyndebourne, an English country house near Lewes, in East Sussex, England. History Under the supervision of the Christie family, the festival has been held annually since 1934, e ...

. They are trained in etiquette that involves protocol and diplomacy, foreign orders of precedence and the

orders of precedence in the United Kingdom The order of precedence in the United Kingdom is the sequential hierarchy for Peers of the Realm, officers of state, senior members of the clergy, holders of the various Orders of Chivalry, and is mostly determined, but not limited to, birth orde ...

, seating arrangements, invitations, gifts, titles and forms of address, flag protocol, honours and decorations, and ranks of the

British peerage A Peerage is a form of The Crown, crown distinction, with Peerages in the United Kingdom comprising both hereditary title, hereditary and life peer, lifetime titled appointments of various Imperial, royal and noble ranks, ranks, which form ...

. The ball, no longer hosted by the monarch, is officially hosted by John Seymour, 19th Duke of Somerset and Judith-Rose, Duchess of Somerset with Princess Katarina of Yugoslavia and Princess Olga Andreevna Romanoff serving as royal patrons. Murray Beauclerk, 14th Duke of St Albans; Gillian Beauclerk, Duchess of St Albans; Sir David O'Grady Roche, 5th Baronet; and The Honourable Lady Roche have also served as hosts for the ball and Prince Nawab Mohsin Ali Khan has served as a royal patron. Rather than curtsey to a monarch, the debutantes curtsey to the birthday cake itself. Each year one debutante is selected as "Debutante of the Year" and she cuts the cake with a ceremonial sword. Since its revival, the ball has been hosted at Dartmouth House,

Leeds Castle Leeds Castle is a castle in Kent, England, southeast of Maidstone. It is built on islands in a lake formed by the River Len to the east of the village of Leeds and is a historic Grade I listed estate. A castle has existed on the site s ...

Kensington Palace Kensington Palace is a royal residence situated within Kensington Gardens in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. It has served as a residence for the British royal family since the 17th century and is currently the ...

, and the

Royal Courts of Justice The Royal Courts of Justice, commonly called the Law Courts, is a court building in Westminster which houses the High Court and Court of Appeal of England and Wales. The High Court also sits on circuit and in other major cities. Designed by Ge ...

. The Queen Charlotte's Ball partnered with the Shanghai International Debutante Ball to organize its events from 2012 until 2016.

In popular culture

Fiona MacCarthy wrote about her experiences as one of the last 1,400 debutantes to be presented at court in her 2006 book ''Last Curtsey: The End of the Debutantes''. The Queen Charlotte's ball has also been referenced and depicted in film and television. * The 1958 American comedy '' The Reluctant Debutante'' is about a young American woman making her debut in the London season. * The ball is depicted in the 2010 British drama series '' Upstairs Downstairs'', when the character Lady Persephone Towyn moved from Wales to London to be presented as a debutante. * The Ball is featured in the series ''

Downton Abbey ''Downton Abbey'' is a British historical drama television series set in the early 20th century, created and co-written by Julian Fellowes. It first aired in the United Kingdom on ITV (TV network), ITV on 26 September 2010 and in the United St ...

'' (Season 4 Special, 2013) when the Crawleys visit London for the debut of their cousin, Lady Rose MacClare. * In the 2016 series ''

The Crown The Crown is a political concept used in Commonwealth realms. Depending on the context used, it generally refers to the entirety of the State (polity), state (or in federal realms, the relevant level of government in that state), the executive ...

,'' the ball is included in a list of recommendations made to Queen Elizabeth II of things to cancel, by Lord Altrincham in 1957. *

Stephen Poliakoff Stephen Poliakoff (born 1 December 1952) is a British playwright, Film director, director and screenwriter. In 2006 Gerard Gilbert of ''The Independent'' described him as the UK's "pre-eminent TV dramatist" and that he had "inherited Dennis Po ...

's 2019 television

mini-series In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...

'' Summer of Rockets'', set during the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

, features a leading character's daughter attending the ball reluctantly, creating a minor scene by refusing to curtsey to the cake as expected. * The ball is featured in the 2020

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

original series ''

Bridgerton ''Bridgerton'' is an American alternative history regency romance television series created by Chris Van Dusen for Netflix. Based on the book series Bridgerton (novel series), of the same name by Julia Quinn, it is Shondaland's first scripted ...

''.

References

{{Reflist, 30em 1780 establishments in England Annual events in England Balls in the United Kingdom Debutante balls George III Recurring events established in 1780 Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz