Queen Elizabeth began learning Hungarian in 1863 against the will of her husband and her mother-in-law. She and her companion, Ida, soon began using the Hungarian language to communicate secrets among themselves. Ida had to be present when Elizabeth’s hair was being brushed or washed so that Elizabeth did not waste time. However, their discussions in Hungarian were not understood by the hairdressers and the maids - wrote the historian Brigitte Hamann.

How the name of the squire Ida Ferenczy was listed among those who were referred for her as a maid when the queen was looking for one. However, how her name ended up mentioned remains a secret since Ida was not an aristocrat. However, it is a fact that she became Elizabeth's most faithful maid and handler of her confidential friend.

When she visited Hungary, Elizabeth was surrounded by a lot of ladies-in-waiting. Some of them even accompanied her in her journeys around the world, often taking ships, or when she chose to take long walks.

Who were these ladies-in-waiting, and what did they know about Elizabeth? How did they live and what did they have to give up so that they could serve the Queen?