THE BALL AGAIN AS OLD TRADITION ENJOYS REVIVAL
The girls get to travel to other countries to take part in charity projects
the UK is a tradition that dates back more than 260 years.
The last debutantes were presented at Buckingham Palace in 1958, after which the Queen abolished the ceremony.
The tradition was continued for the next 40 years by Tatler’s social editor Peter Townend, who organised a series of parties for young girls who might otherwise have been presented at the Court.
For a while, debutante balls lost their sparkle but in the last five years they have become the hottest tickets in town – the most famous and prestigious being the Queen Charlotte’s Bal l, which is the climax of the London Season.
Former lawyer Jennie Hallam- BACK FROM THE DEB Peel, who took over as chairwoman of the ball after Townend’s death, claims it is more popular than ever.
She said: “The ball is going from strength to strength. It’s a very lovely British tradition.
“Back when I was a debutante, Peter Townend wrote to my mother asking me to take part in the season.
“These days it is very different. We get referrals from people we know who have friends with 17-year-old daughters and letters from women who were debs in the 80s and now have daughters the right age. We also accept online applications.
“Everyone who applies is interviewed and just 20 are chosen. Unlike in America, where families are charged a fortune for the privi lege of becoming a debutante, we charge nothing.
“We supply the white wedding gowns, the shoes, the tiaras and the hairdresser. All we ask is that each family buy three tickets for the ball. All the money we raise goes to a designated charity.”
She added: “The ball is the climax of the London season but there are events throughout the year.
“The gi rls have etiquette sessions and croquet lessons and gain confidence by hosting dinner parties and drinks receptions.
“They also get the chance to travel to other countries to take part in charity projects. Everything
is done outside term time so as nothing interferes with their school work.”
Hallam-Peel added: “I’d love to see more Scottish debutantes doing the London season.
“Unfortunately, we have had very few, if any, Scots girls step out at the Queen Charlotte’s Ball.
“We’ve had lots of girls who are attending universities in Edinburgh and St Andrews but they’ve all been English or American.”
The mother of three admits the London season is very different to how it was in her day.
She said: “Then only one or two of the girls were going to university like me and the rest were going to secretarial college until marriage. Nowadays all of the young women are heading to uni and are set to have amazing careers as doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs and even world leaders.
“Times have changed but the premise of raising money for good causes remains the same.
“I get upset when people describe it as elitist. It’s important to recognise the hard work which goes into the season.
“Next year is a big year for us as it is the 240th anniversary of the ball. We will be choosing one debutante from each decade from 1958 – the last year the debs were presented to the Queen.
“I hope it is a tradition that will never die out.”