Lady mayoress is an official female companion to the lord mayor of a major city in the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland, or a capital city of an Australian state. Traditionally this was the wife of a male mayor. It is not an elected office. Lady is used here as a title of respect. The lady mayoress accompanies the lord mayor to many events and also carries out engagements on her own. As an example, the Leeds Children's Charity states that "it has been the right of every new lady mayoress to become the president of the charity".