It was reminiscent of a movie scene from "Elizabeth" and "Victoria", where a sea of young, beautiful, mostly white women decked out in pristine ballgowns, twinkling tiaras and diamond jewels attend a ball.
However, this is a real ball known as the annual Queen Charlotte’s Ball in London. The traditional and conservative event last 4 September involves the high-fluent young women — ages 16-21 — who were accompanied by aristocratic young men to dance, have fun and indulge in a decadent meal.
The original purpose of the glamorous yearly event was to bring young upper-class girls, who were of age to marry, to court by a sponsor to be presented to the monarch — a tradition that ended in 1958, as the monarch reportedly wanted to "distance itself from the practice," according to Town & Country.
After they were "presented" — the young uppity girls were officially "out" and ready to be wedded off. The annual ball was an opportunity for these future brides to meet eligible single boys.
Supposedly, in 2009, the gala and some of its traditions were relaunched — but with a modern twist —by a non-profit organization, The London Season, according to the Daily Mail.
Instead of it being a mating ground for potential young love — the yearly event is supposedly now focused on raising money for children in need and etiquette classes.
It also doesn’t only take place in London — Queen Charlotte’s Ball has reportedly also taken place in venues in Shanghai and Dubai, according to the outlet.
To be eligible to attend, each potential debutante must go through a meticulous interview process and only 20 are selected.
Aside from having their daughters attend a debutante ball, there are more subtle signs that give away if a person is wealthy.
"There are lots of different ways that someone might signal that they’re part of a certain class background," said a woman named Dani Payne, who has a background in education and politics, in a recent TikTok video.
The first sign is supposedly how someone acts and talks.
"And that’s not just accent, although accent is a really big thing in the UK," Payne said.
"But it’s also what are you talking about, what’s polite conversation. Do you know it’s extremely impolite to ask about money and wealth, etc.?"
Someone’s vocabulary plays a big role, too.
"Are you well-read and well-spoken? A lot of these things signal an allegiance to a certain class structure," the content creator explained.
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