Brewer's: Groom of the Stole

Keeper of the stole or state-robe. His duty, originally, was to invest the king in his state-robe, but he had also to hand him his shirt when he dressed. The office, when a queen reigns, is termed Mistress of the Robes, but Queen Anne had her “Groom of the Stole.” (Greek, stole, a garment.) (See Bridegroom.)

Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894
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