Lords and Gentlemen of the Bedchamber
George Villiers was James I's Gentleman of the Bedchamber.
George also served James' son Charles I and was instumental in marriage negociations with the Infanta Maria
of Spain and Henrietta Maria of France, who Charles married.
What Wikipedia says:
Gentleman of the Bedchamber was a title in the Royal Household of the Kingdom of England from the 11th
century, later used also in the Kingdom of Great Britain. A Lord of the Bedchamber was a courtier in the
Royal Household; the term being first used in 1718.[1] The duties of the Lords and Gentlemen of the
Bedchamber originally consisted of assisting the monarch with dressing, waiting on him when he ate,
guarding access to his bedchamber and closet and providing companionship. Such functions became less
important over time, but provided proximity to the monarch; the holders were thus trusted confidants and
often extremely powerful. The offices were in the gift of The Crown and were originally
sworn by Royal Warrant directed to the Lord Chamberlain.
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The Groom of the Stool (formally styled: "Groom of the King's Close Stool") was the most intimate of an English monarch's courtiers,
initially responsible for assisting the king in excretion and hygiene.
The physical intimacy of the role naturally led to his becoming a man in whom much confidence was placed by his royal master and
with whom many royal secrets were shared as a matter of course. This secret information—while it would never have been revealed,
for it would have led to the discredit of his honour—in turn led to his becoming feared and respected and therefore powerful within
the royal court in his own right. The office developed gradually over decades and centuries into one of administration of the royal
finances, and under Henry VII, the Groom of the Stool
became a powerful official involved in setting national fiscal policy, under the "chamber system".[1
