Lady Romanadvoratrelundar was hired by the White Guardian - who she thought to be the Lord President of Gallifrey - to help the Doctor locate the six segments of the Key to Time. Finding her name too long for convenience, the Doctor suggested she shorten it to Romana - it was either that or Fred. Romanadvoratrelundar preferred Fred, but this went unnoticed by the Doctor. (Both Romana and the Doctor sometimes like to pronounce her full name as "Romanadvoratnelundar", so either the spelling is misleading or Romana does not know her own name.)
A Time Lord like the Doctor - or, in her case, a Time Lady - Romana's initial days with him were rocky. Fresh out of the Academy, with a triple first, she found the Doctor's methods unorthodox, unwise, and ill-considered. Especially considering the Doctor's much lower grades at the Academy, Romana felt somewhat superior to him and was inclined to show it by operating the TARDIS correctly and pointing out the other things he did wrong. Many times she was successful, but other times she was taken aback when the Doctor's unorthodox methods actually worked. Her conversation with the Doctor tended to be icy and haughty, and her manner aloof. Her frequent habit of offhandedly psychoanalyzing everyone, the Doctor included, points to considerable training in psychology.
But whatever her grades at the Academy, her classes there did not prepare her for life with the Doctor. Romana had lived a sheltered and pampered life on Gallifrey (she was given an aircar for her seventieth birthday) and had never been exposed to the harsher realities of life on other planets. She is completely unfamiliar with concepts as simple as a horse or an injection (which seems to unduly alarm her), and she is certainly not familiar with the more excitable varieties of fauna to be found throughout the universe. Vicious monsters startle her greatly, and she was unsettled by the scrapes that the Doctor either got himself into or narrowly avoided.
However, over time, Romana adjusted to her new life. She began learning more from the Doctor, and their relationship moved into one of mutual respect and teamwork. She still saw the Doctor as somewhat frivolous and unprofessional, but she knew that he could be relied upon. And Romana is not completely without worldly skills - her calm demeanour enables her to fire weapons with calculated accuracy, and she knows how to pick locks using simple tools.
Romana is a tall woman with a haughty and aristocratic bearing, wavy shoulder-length brunette hair and hazel eyes. She has a strong sense of style and enjoys wearing fancy clothing, particularly flowing white garments, and high-heeled shoes or boots. Romana is only persuaded to give up such impractical clothing if their destination is too treacherous or if she becomes uncomfortable. And, at least during the search for the Key to Time, she is never to be found without the long white wand of the Tracer tucked into her belt or shoe.
Following the completion of their mission, Romana continued travelling with the Doctor, and eventually regenerated...
