Decision on Tournament of Roses’ Royal Court Could Be Weeks Away

The Tournament of Roses on Thursday told Pasadena Now that its Executive Committee still has not made a decision on naming a Royal Court.

“The decision regarding the Royal Court will be made in the upcoming weeks,” the Tournament told Pasadena Now in an  email.

Hundreds of young women from around the region typically try out for one of the seven spots after several rounds of elimination.

The seven-member Royal Court presides over the Rose Bowl and Rose Parade on New Years Day and attends hundreds of events every year.

Many of those events could be canceled due to the pandemic.

Initial interview sessions for the Royal Court have been scheduled for early September at the Tournament House.

The Tournament announced the cancellation of the parade on Thursday after months of speculation due to the current surge in Coronavirus cases.

The parade is attended by half a million people live, which would increase the chances of spreading the virus.

The Tournament does not control the football game.

In 1905, Hallie Woods was selected as the first Rose Queen and together with the 1905 Royal Court, began a legacy of service to our community.

The Tournament continued to select a Royal Court to preside over the game in 1942, 1943 and 1945 even though the parade had been canceled due to the nation’s involvement in World War II.

The Rose Queen and the Royal Court had already been chosen when the attack on Pearl Harbor plunged the nation into WWII less than a month before the 1942 parade.

Dolores Brubach was chosen as Rose Queen. The parade was also canceled in 1944 and 1945, but the Royal Court was chosen in both years — Naomi Riordan and Mary Rutte were selected to preside over the Rose Bowl Game, respectively.