My grandmother Ethel McLaughlin is seen here in court dress. As a married woman she is wearing a tiara, which she did not have on when she was a debutante "coming out" in society by being presented to Queen Victoria.

The mandatory Prince of Wales plume of three ostrich feathers was always worn slightly on the left side of the head. Keeping them there while doing a full curtsy took a lot of practice.

After producing two children Ethel felt she had done her duty to her new husband, even though she had not given him a male heir. Maternity had wrecked her social calendar, so Ethel was impatient to bring attention to her presence in London, where she had a home looking out on Warwick Square garden. The opportunity came at Christmas 1903 when the London Gazette gave her this joyous annunciation:

Notice is hereby given that Their Majesties the King and Queen will hold a series of Courts at Buckingham Palace during the coming season, at which presentations of Ladies to Their Majesties will be made.
    Attendance and Presentation at these Courts will be by Summons issued by the Lord Chamberlain.
    Ladies who have already been presented and who are desirous of being summoned to these Courts are requested to send their names, together with those of their husbands, if they have been presented, to the Lord Chamberlain's Office, St. James's Palace, on, or as soon as possible after the 1st of January next. Should they desire to make a presentation, the name of the Lady to be presented should be sent in at the same time...
    Gentlemen who come in attendance on their families are not expected to pass the Presence.
    A Lady who makes a presentation to Their Majesties must be personally acquainted with and responsible for the Lady she presents. She must herself attend the Court, and cannot present more than one Lady in addition to her daughter or daughter-in-law...
    The Courts will be held in the evening.
    The Dress Regulations are: Ladies: Full Court dress with feathers and trains. Gentlemen : Full Court dress...
    Ladies and Gentlemen who have been presented at Drawing Rooms and Levees held during the reign of Her late Majesty Queen Victoria will not require to be again presented to Their Majesties the King and Queen.
            CLARENDON, Lord Chamberlain.

Ethel felt certain that their Britannic Majesties King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra would be delighted by her presence, even if it was not required by the Lord Chamberlain. So, in a large hand that spilled off her minuscule, perfume-drenched linen stationery, she penned the following missive on New Year's Day:

My Lord,
            In accordance with the announcement in the Gazette, I  beg to submit my name together with that of my husband Major G. H. McLaughlin (late R.H.A.) as being desirous of attending one of Their Majesties' Courts before Easter.
             I have the honour to be your obedient servant
                           Ethel.

George and Ethel also attended the Court of Their Majesties King George V and Queen Mary on 14 May 1914.

For details of the presentation ceremony click here. Almost everything you might wish to know about Edwardian Society is at fashion-era.com. Another entertaining Edwardian site is provided by PBS.