For any young lady who wished to become a member of Britain's high society, being presented at court was of vital importance.
In high society, a girl could only be acknowledged after being presented at court.
Usually, a young girl attending high-society events for the first time was presented by her mother. If she had no mother, she would be presented by a close relative. A bride, meanwhile, was usually presented at court by one of her husband's relatives after the wedding. When a lady was about to be presented at court, she first had to take a blank card and clearly write her own name and that of her presenter on it. At least two days in advance, the card had to be placed before the drawing room at St James's Palace by a court official, along with a note from the sponsor.
Two days after sending these to the Lord Chamberlain, the young lady would receive two letters of presentation—two red cards. As with the previous card, she had to bring both cards to the palace. One would remain in the waiting register, while the other would be collected by an official at the entrance to the audience chamber and handed to the Lord Chamberlain, who would then read the name aloud to Her Majesty the Queen.
The palace gates opened at two in the afternoon, and the Queen arrived in the main hall at three. Whenever a lady's social standing changed, she had to be presented again. For example, if a lady had been presented by her mother before marriage, she had to be presented again at her wedding. If her husband was promoted, she had to be presented once more. If she failed to do all this, she would no longer have the right to appear