Courtier

Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester was a courtier favoured by Elizabeth I.

A courtier (/ˈkɔːrtiər/) is a person who attends the royal court of a monarch or other royalty.[1] The earliest historical examples of courtiers were part of the retinues of rulers. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the official residence of the monarch, and the social and political life were often completely mixed together.

  1. ^ "Courtier". dictionary.reference.com. Archived from the original on 2010-12-06. Retrieved 2010-12-24.