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Fit for a fairy tale: Chosen young ladies enter high society in style
Debutantes rest their feet as they await the arrival of guests before the Queen Charlotte's Ball at the Royal Courts of Justice on Oct. 26, 2013 in London.Christopher Furlong / Getty Images
By PhotoBlog
Queen Charlotte's Ball is the pinnacle event of the London Season. The custom of returning to London at the end of the hunting season has been celebrated with glittering balls and high society events for over 200 years. The modern group of meticulously selected debutantes continue the tradition and celebrate their year of charity fund raising, etiquette classes and debut at The Queen Charlotte's Ball. The young ladies, usually aged between 17 and 20 and wearing designer dresses, attend the grand ball where they are presented to guests and curtsey to the Queen Charlotte Cake. King George III introduced the Queen Charlotte's Ball in 1780 to celebrate his wife's birthday and debutantes were traditionally presented to the King or Queen until 1958.
Editor's note: The photographs were taken on Oct. 26, 2013 and made available to NBC News today.