Kathryn Edith Helen Stanley

Dame Kathryn Edith Helen Dugdale (née Stanley; 4 November 1923 – 12 March 2004) was one of Queen Elizabeth ll's ladies-in-waiting, serving from 1955 to 2002.

Life and family She was born on 4 November 1923 to British politician Oliver Stanley and Lady Maureen Vane-Tempest-Stuart. Her father was the second son of Edward Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby and her mother was the only daughter of Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 7th Marquess of Londonderry.

She was raised in the Lake District. During World War II she served in the Women's Royal Naval Service. John Dugdale died in 1994. The Daily Telegraph said she was stoical in widowhood, saying "crying is for housemaids."

Lady-in-waiting Dugdale knew the future Queen Elizabeth II from childhood, as her father, a cabinet minister, was a close friend of the Queen's father, King George VI.

Dugdale was one of Queen Elizabeth's longest serving ladies-in-waiting. She was appointed Woman of the Bedchamber in 1955 and retired in 2002. She travelled the world attending the Queen, including visits to Tuvalu, Russia, Canada, the Vatican and China.

As a Woman of the Bedchamber, she attended the Queen for a fortnight, three or four times a year. The six-feet tall Dugdale later said "I must admit it was pretty rough for a while, but still, I had the height to deal with him."

The Birmingham Post quoted her as saying "the first thing the Queen does after returning from a hectic day is to flop into an armchair and kick off her shoes." Dugdale said her role "means just being there when I am needed... It is nice for the Queen to have another woman with her." She added, "England has always been very fortunate with its Queens."