 |  | | | Last Curtsey | 11 Oct 2006 | | |
 50 years ago when you talked about coming out and queens in the same sentence, it meant something quite different from what it does today.
“Coming Out” was a female rite of passage for the English upper classes, which involved going to Buckingham Palace to curtsey to the Queen. It marked the emergence of the virgin out of the schoolroom and into society at the marriageable age of seventeen.
In 1958, after 200 years, the last of the debutantes made that journey. Fiona MacCarthy took part in this final ritual of aristocratic power and her book, “Last Curtsey: the End of the Debutantes”, is published this month.
She and fellow debutante, Elfrida Eden, join Martha to talk about their experiences.
Last Curtsey: the End of the Debutantes, published by Faber, ISBN 0-571-22859-3
| |
| | Retired? Downsizing? Moving home to be nearer the kids?We'd like to hear your stories about moving house |
|
