The mistress of the robes was the senior lady in the Royal Household of the United Kingdom. Formerly responsible for the queen consort's/regnant's clothes and jewellery (as the name implies), the post had the responsibility for arranging the rota of attendance of the ladies-in-waiting on the queen, along with various duties at state ceremonies. In modern times, the mistress of the robes was almost always a duchess. During the 17th and 18th centuries, this role often overlapped with or was replaced as first lady of the bedchamber. In the past, whenever the queen was a queen regnant rather than a queen consort, the mistress of the robes was a political appointment, changing with the government. However, this has not been the case since the death of Queen Victoria in 1901, and Queen Elizabeth II had only had two mistresses of the robes in more than seventy years' reign. Queens dowager have their own mistresses of the robes, and in the 18th century princesses of Wales had one too. Mistress of the robes to Mary I, 1553–1558 1553–1558: Susan Clarencieux Mistress of the robes to Elizabeth I, 1558–1603 1559/1562–1603: Dorothy, Lady Stafford Mistress of the robes to Anne of Denmark, 1603–1619 1603–1619: Audrey (Etheldreda), Lady Walsingham Mistress of the robes to Henrietta Maria of France, 1625–1669 1626–1652: Susan Feilding, Countess of Denbigh (also called First Lady of the Bedchamber) 1653–1669: Elizabeth Fielding Boyle, Countess of Guilford Mistress of the robes to Catherine of Braganza, 1662–1692 1660–1692: Position vacant, replaced by a First Lady of the Bedchamber Mistress of the robes to Mary of Modena, 1673–1688 1673–1688: Position vacant, replaced by a First Lady of the Bedchamber Mistress of the robes to Mary II, 1688–1694 1688–1694: Lady Elizabeth Butler, Countess of Derby Mistresses of the robes to Anne, Queen of Great Britain, 1704–1714 1704–1710: Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough 1710–1714: Elizabeth Seymour, Duchess of Somerset Mistresses of the robes to Caroline of Ansbach, 1714–1737 1714–1717: Diana Beauclerk, Duchess of St Albans 1717–1723: Possibly vacant 1723–1731: Elizabeth Sackville, Duchess of Dorset 1731–1735: Henrietta Howard, Countess of Suffolk (Dowager Countess of Suffolk from 1733) 1735–1737: Position vacant Mistresses of the robes to Augusta of Saxe-Gotha 1736–1763 1736–1745: Lady Archibald Hamilton 1745–1747: Position vacant 1747–1763: Grace Sackville, Countess of Middlesex Mistress of the robes to Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, 1761–1818 1761–1793: Mary Bertie, Duchess of Ancaster and Kesteven (Dowager Duchess of Ancaster and Kesteven from 1778)