Question: Reading [the answer to a question about Sabé](https://scifi.stackexchange.com/a/10590/2565) (the Amidala stand-in) I remembered that I always wondered why she ordered the actual queen to scrub R2-D2. There were enough actual servants who could have done it, so why Padmé? If that wasn't enough, after giving the actual queen (Padmé) the order to go away, she tells Panaka to continue with the discussion. How does that make sense?

The significant piece of dialogue:

> 
> AMIDALA : Thank you, Artoo Detoo. You have proven to be very loyal...Padme!
>  ...  
> 
>  AMIDALA : (Cont'd) Clean this droid up the best you can. It deserves our gratitude...(to Panaka) Continue, Captain.
> 
> 
> 

Note that this question is two-fold:

1. Why was Padmé chosen in the first place?
2. Why would an important meeting with the ship's captain be continued without her?

Answer: 
In addition to what Chris stated, it also gave Amidala an more ready excuse to be around the Jedi, Anakin and JarJar in a non-formal environment where discussion might flow more freely. An attendant to the Queen would be expected to be in attendance to the Queen whenever possible and allows little time to just "hang out" as it were in that more free environment. But if she were given a task that would take some time, she could spend time getting to know the travelers more and perhaps gain more of their trust in return.
Perhaps Padmé *wanted* to clean the droid--both to learn more about the people she was traveling with, and the droid that had saved her and her ship. She didn't seem to treat it as an onerous task, did she?