Introduction to the debutantes
Over three days in March 1958, 1,400 debutantes curtsied to The Queen at Buckingham Palace in a ceremony that had lasted more than two hundred years. Crowds of onlookers gathered outside Buckingham Palace to watch as they arrived.
The last court presentations in 1958 put an end to a ritual that had survived for more than two hundred years. Since the early 18th century, aristocratic families had ‘launched’ their adolescent daughters into society through presentation at court. The girls - or debutantes - were introduced to the king or queen in a formal ceremony which was attended by the most powerful and influential people in society.
Presentation at court became a rite of passage for these girls, marking their transition from childhood to adult life. Over a whirl of social events called ‘The Season’, debutantes were launched into society and the marriage market, where they would meet eligible young men from the country’s wealthiest families.
Essential debs’ terminology
Coming out
Debutante’s entry into society.
Debs’ delight
Young man from aristocratic family who attends debutantes’ parties and dances.
The Lord Chamberlain
One of the chief officers of the Royal Household, responsible for court functions. Organises presentation ceremonies every year.
Presentation at court
Ceremony at which the debutante is formally presented to the monarch.
Sponsor
Debutante’s mother or another female relative who has already been presented at court. Goes to Buckingham Palace with deb.
Real debs’ experiences
The debutantes were the celebrities of their day. Photographers snapped them for newspapers and magazines, journalists asked them about their favourite pastimes and crowds gathered to watch as they arrived at Buckingham Palace to be presented to The Queen.
While some girls loved doing The Season, the idea of going to so many parties and public events filled others with anxiety. Some girls kept diaries of their experiences, good and bad. Others made scrapbooks, pasting in their designs for the ideal dress, invitations to dances and cuttings from magazines like The Tatler, which followed every detail of the debutante scene. In her diary, one deb wrote:
May 14th
Photographed by Lenare 2.30 pm. Cocktail party in our flat for me. Rather empty but otherwise went well.
June 9th
Dance the Countess of X and Lady X for Lady X and the Hon. X, Claridge’s Hotel. Dinner Lady X. Dance not much fun really, but never mind.
