Editing Lady-in-waiting (section)

===Belgium===
The Kingdom of Belgium was founded in 1830, after which a royal court was founded, and ladies-in-waiting were appointed for [[Louise of Orléans]] when she became the first queen of Belgium in 1832. The female officeholders of the queen's household were created after the French model and composed of one {{lang|fr|[[Dame d'honneur]]}}, followed by several ladies-in-waiting with the title {{lang|fr|[[Dame du Palais]]}}, in turn ranking above the {{lang|fr|[[Première femme de chambre]]}} and the {{lang|fr|Femme de chambre}}.<ref>''Almanach royal officiel de Belgique, pour l'an 1841'' {{full citation needed|date=April 2017}}</ref>

The ladies-in-waiting have historically been chosen by the queen herself from the noblewomen of the Catholic [[Belgian nobility|Noble Houses of Belgium]]. The chief functions at court were undertaken by members of the higher nobility, involving much contact with the royal ladies. Belgian princesses were assigned a lady upon their 18th birthdays. [[Princess Clémentine of Belgium|Princess Clementine]] was given a {{lang|fr|Dame}} by her father, a symbolic acknowledgement of adulthood. When the queen entertains, the ladies welcome guests and assist the hostess in sustaining conversation.