TheOrator.Press Events Page. Holding Court In Brixton’s Premier ‘Burlesque Boutique’ And ‘Dim Sum Bar’ Are Stars of ‘The Courtesan’ A Sensual, Stylish, Initmate ‘Live Cabaret, Cocktail Bar, And Afternoon Tea’ Destination. Dedicated To Ancient Royal Oriental Elegance, Contemporary Body Positivity, And Fearless Female Empowerment, It’s Got It Going On. And Coming Off! September 2025

@courtesanbrixton

Courting’. It’s A Wonderfully Old-Fashioned Word. But What Does It Mean And Where Does It Stem From?

Every Year Here In Britain We Have The King’s New Year’s Honours List (In Winter) And The King’s Birthday Honours List (In Summer). This Is In And Of Itself Evidence That Chivalry Is Infact Alive And Well.

Chivalry Is Not Dead!

CBEs, MBEs, OBEs, Damehoods, Knighthoods And More Are All Part of The Chivalric Order Which Was Once Actively At The Heart of A Global, Territorial, Expansive, Military Dependent, All Conquering British Empire.

This Is Why Some People Turn Down Such Honours Because of The Brutal History Involved At The Less Refined End of The Historical Imperial Spectrum of Rule Britannia And The Commercial And Merchantile Element of This Sea-Faring Royal Kingdom. Titles Bestowed Under The ‘Order of The British Emprie’ Do Not Sit Well For Some Citizens.

After King Henry VIII’s Reformation England Became Heavily Slavery-Dependent (As It Could No Longer Rely On Sharing The Riches And Wealth of Rome And The Vatican). Maritime Expansion And Slavery Developed At Speed, Reaching Dizzying Heights Under Queen Victoria And The Industrial Revolution.

At Time When Diplomacy Was Everything (In Order To Prevent Wars – During An Era When The Palace Was Also The Seat of Government And Political Powers) Courtiers Were Craftsmen of Flattery, Manipulation, Negotiation, Interrogation, Intrigue, Ambition, Art, And Entertainment. Jokers, Ladies, Knights, Good Manners And Noble Ways Were The Norms of The Day And The Talk of The Towns Within The Royal Kingdoms.

Courtesanship Was Widespread Common Practice Throughout The 16th – 20th Century. However, Eventually Tired of The Debauchery And Over-Indulgence of The French Monarchy The French Public Said ‘Off With Their Heads” And Commenced Revolution. The Bloody Demise of The Tzars In Russia Followed Shortly Afterwards. The Long Established System of European Monarchcal Rule Fell Into Dire Decline. The British Royal Family Survived By Rebranding From Their German Name To “The House of Windsor” And Making Greater Efforts To Connect With The People For Fear That Their Own Demise Would Also Befall Them.

But Certain Aspects of The Old System Still Survive Today As A Celebration of A Bygone Era When The Courts of Europe And Around The World Had Certain Standards of of Ettiquette, Decorum, And Rules Surrounding Social Engagement, Strictly Upheld By Royal Courtiers, Noblemen And Women, And Kings And Queens Themselves.

Page Boys, Page Girls, Maids of Honour, Ushers, Masters of Ceremony Are Vestiages of This Era. As Are Certain Honours Bestowed Under The Prevailing Honours System (About Which We’ve Written Before) When Knights In Shining Armour And Noblemen Were In Service To The King Having Proved Themselves Worthy Warriors And Horsemen.

(‘Chivalry’ Derives FromThe French Word ‘Cheval’ – Meaning Horse).

Royal Courts Constitute The Royal Household And The Monarch’s Extended Operational Arena Which Includes Associated Officials, Noblemen And Women, Clergymen And Women, PR Managers, Press Teams And Lawyers,Camarilla (Private Personal Advisors), Retinue (A Select Collection of Specially Retained Helpers), Administrators, Secretaries, And General Staff, For Instance.

Back Then, Most Courts Included Concubines, Harems And Eunuchs (Castrated Males With Trusted Positions Within The Royal Household And Palaces, Rendered Less Threatening By The Absence of Testesterone, But Dedicated To Defending Their Royal Leaders Nonetheless).

Royal Courts Were Very Much Underpinned By The Believe That Majesty Is Divine And Ordained By God Or Divinity And Therefore Majestic Rule It Total Throughout Society, Impacting Laws, Culture And Religion. It Stems From The French Word ‘Cort’ Meaning ‘Sovereign Assembly’. And Also The Latin Words ‘Cour’ And ‘Cors’ Which Again Relate To Concepts of Enclosed, Selective, Sovereign or Courageous Assembly.

Historically, Royal Marriages Were Often Based On Political Protections Through Family Unions Formed To Protect Regal Bloodlines And Geographical Regions. Consequently, King And Queen Often Lived Seperate Lifes. Hence They Often Look Lovers From Amongst The Courtiers.

Courtesans Were High-Society, Educated, Witty Women, With Entertainment, Dance, Singing And Conversational Skills. Powerful Men Who Appreciated Their Talents Became Paying Clients, From Whom They Could Receive Luxuries, Elevated Status And Even Living Accomodation.

Another French Word Is Ettiquette And Ettiquette (Established Refined Social Behaviour) Was Everything. Eventually The Expression “Courting” Entered Into The Romantic Lexicon of Love. In This Sense It Means To Gain Favour By Good Behaviour And Dedicated Attention To One’s Love Interest. Basically It’s Now An Old Fashioned Word For Dating.

Some of The Most Famous Courts Over The Centuries Have Been The Roman Empire (Including Infamous Forced Gladiatorial Battles Against Animals In Jeering Ampitheatres), The Ottoman Empire, The Byzantine Empire, King Henry VIII’s Tudor Court (And The Various Fates of His Six Wives), The Ming Dynasty of China And The Forbidden City.

In Africa There Was Also The Ashanti ‘Nana’ Kingdom of Ghana (Which Today Remains One of The Most Successful Countries In Africa And Has A Number of Living African Royal Family Descendants).

Rather Than Being Seen As The Oppression of Women, Courtesanhip Was Widely Considered To Be A Valued Art Form. The Special Training Involved, The Subsequent Selection To Be A Skilled Entertainer In The Royal Courts And The Potential For Great Social Mobility, All Afforded A Certain Social Status That Was Respected.

One of The Greatest Examples of This Is Empress ‘Theodora’of The Byzantine Empire. It Is Said That She Was Originally “An Erotic Actress” Who Later BecameA Courtesan. Eventually She Became of The Wife of Emperor Justinian. Spectacularly, Ultimately She Was Made A Saint!