Dame du Palais

The Dame du Palais (French pronunciation: [dam dy palɛ], lit. 'Lady of the Palace'), originally only Dame, was a historical office in the royal court of France. It was a title of a lady-in-waiting holding the official position of personal attendant on a female member of the French royal family. The position was traditionally held by a female member of a noble family. They were ranked between the dame d'atours and the Fille d'honneur. They had previously been styled 'Dames'. The equivalent title and office has historically been used in most European royal courts (Dutch: Dames du Palais; English: Lady of the Bedchamber; German: Hofstaatsdame or Palatsdame; Italian: Dame di Corte; Russian: Hofdame or Statsdame; Spanish: Dueña de honor; Swedish: Statsfru). The same title has been used for the ...