Short answers, pulled from the story.
Mary Fitton was a maid of honour to Queen Elizabeth I who died in poverty and obscurity after a scandalous affair that nearly cost her life. She began her career as a symbol of purity and privilege before her downfall.
In June 1600, Elizabeth I's maids of honour took to the stage in a masque celebrating the marriage of Anne Russell and Henry Somerset. This event marked one of the earliest recorded instances of female theatrical performance in a royal context.
The Mother of the Maids was a single figure who combined supervision, discipline, and maternal guidance over the women in the queen's chamber. This powerful position was often held by a woman of high birth who commanded respect and authority over the younger attendants.
In the 17th century, some maids of honour received modest stipends of £10 yearly, while others relied on property leases or dowries granted by the monarch. Most maids of honour received no salary beyond board and lodging, leaving them with little financial security.
At her coronation in 1953, Queen Elizabeth II was attended by six maids of honour including Lady Moyra Hamilton, Lady Anne Coke, Lady Jane Vane-Tempest-Stewart, Lady Mary Baillie-Hamilton, Lady Jane Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby, and Lady Rosemary Spencer-Churchill. These women represented the highest echelons of the British aristocracy.
In 1912, King George V granted maids of honour the style of The Honourable with precedence next after daughters of barons. This elevation placed their status in the peerage above that of other attendants.