The role of “Senior Royal Nanny” has long been a coveted position. Rife with perks, travel opportunities and insider access, no other post affords a more personal connection to the royal family. Charged with raising duty-bound, well-mannered children, some nannies have even helped shape and mold Britain’s future monarchs, but, privileged as the job may seem, it often comes at a significant personal cost. 24-hour commitment, a regimented and inflexible schedule and steadfast loyalty, leaves little room for a private life. Those who serve become indispensable members of the family, but royal service can also mean giving up a family of one’s own.
Barbara Barnes, nicknamed Baba, was the first royal nanny hired to look after Prince William. Then 39, she joined the Waleses’ household right after his birth in 1982 and she remained with the family until he started school at the age of four. Baba was considered quite progressive for her time and a bit of a light touch when it came to discipline. Tabloids reported that when William or Harry were naughty, “…Barnes gave them a cuddle. But their parents preferred a good hiding.” It was perhaps her gentle approach that ultimately led to her dismissal, but there was also speculation that her departure was due to Diana’s jealousy over the close bond Barnes shared with the young princes.
Diana was determined to be a hands-on mother, but the nature of her role meant she couldn’t always be home with her sons. As senior nanny, Baba was involved in every aspect of the boys’ lives. It was her that carried William down the airplane steps upon the Waleses’ arrival in Alice Springs at the start of their 1983 tour to Australia, and she was photographed escorting William from the Lindo Wing in 1984 when he was taken to meet his new brother, Prince Harry. Even though she left when William was still so little, the pairs’ close relationship held fast and Baba was in the congregation as the Cambridges tied the knot in 2011.
Olga Powell, a 52-year-old widow, joined Barnes as deputy nanny when William was 6-months-old. She was a strict, but loving caregiver and she was an unwavering presence in the boys’ lives. Powell refused to put up with any shenanigans, nor was she shy about giving the boys a clip around the ear if they were badly behaved. Fiercely loyal, she stayed with the family for fifteen years, and post-retirement she maintained a discreet silence on life behind palace walls.
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Olga mentored the princes through their parents’ divorce and comforted them when they lost their mother in 1997. Up until her death in 2012 at the age of 82, she was an integral part of William and Harry’s lives; she attended Harry’s confirmation at Eton, William’s 21st birthday party, his passing out parade from Sandhurst and his wedding at Westminster Abbey. On the day of her funeral, William canceled four high profile engagements in order to attend her private service. Harry was unable to be there as he was on deployment in Afghanistan, but even in her will Mrs. Powell remembered her young charges requesting that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Harry’s charity, Sentebale.
As a child, the Queen had an equally regimented, but devoted nanny. Clara Knight, affectionately known as “Allah,” had a whole team at her disposal. In 1930 Margaret (Bobo) MacDonald joined Allah and she went on to serve her mistress, Elizabeth, for 67 years, first as a nursemaid and then as a dresser.
Bobo was said to be the only person outside the Royal Family allowed to call the Queen by her nickname, “Lilibet.” She shared a bedroom with Elizabeth until the Princess turned 11 and accompanied her on her honeymoon with Prince Philip in 1947. When the Queen’s father, King George VI, bid farewell to his daughter at the start of her five-month tour to Australia and New Zealand in 1952, he said to Miss MacDonald, “Look after the Princess for me, Bobo.” Six days later he died in his sleep at Sandringham.
Helen Lightbody, AKA “No nonsense Lightbody,” took charge of the Buckingham Palace nursery in 1948 when Prince Charles was just one-month-old. She cared for Charles and his sister Anne until her resignation in 1956. Assistant nursemaid, Mabel Anderson, who had joined the Palace in 1949, aged only 22, took over as head nanny. Charles described her as, “…a haven of security,” in what he considered to be a lonely and rigid royal childhood. It’s since been suggested that she was the most influential woman in the Prince’s life.
In 1977 Mabel was persuaded to come out of her initial retirement to help Princess Anne with her newborn son Peter Phillips. After 32 years of royal service caring for two generations of royal children, Mabel retired properly in 1981. As a reward for her years of service, the Queen and Charles secured her a lifelong grace-and-favour home in Windsor.
As with William and Kate before them, it’s been reported that Harry and Meghan are keen to forgo employing a nanny. While I applaud their desire to be solely responsible for their newborn baby, given their position it is inevitable that at some stage they will have to seek full-time help. It’s likely that Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, will be on hand to offer assistance and maternal wisdom in the early days, but it’s important to remember that, like Carole Middleton, Doria will be the grandmother and not the hired help.
When Kate was pregnant with Prince George, she and William advertised for a housekeeper to clean, prep basic meals, tend to the couple’s dog and, as speculated, occasionally mind their soon-to-be-born first child. It all sounded very modern at the time, but upon their return to fulltime duties it wasn’t a viable option for George. William’s former nanny, Jessie Webb, was drafted in to help, but at 72 her position was never going to be permanent and the couple began their search for a replacement.
In 2014 Kensington Palace announced that William and Kate had chosen Spanish-born, Maria Borrallo, a graduate of the prestigious nanny school, Norland College, to care for their seven-month-old son. The first foreign nanny to look after a future British monarch, Nanny Maria is said to be married to the job and like her predecessors of old she represents a stable and consistent presence in the Cambridge household.
How Harry and Meghan chose to proceed remains to be seen, but at some stage they too will need to find their own Mary Poppins. Traditionally the royals have relied on the recommendations of friends and family when searching for a nanny. Given the Sussexes’ tight circle of trusted confidantes, many of whom have children, the references will likely come thick and fast. While the welfare of their child will be of utmost importance, securing someone discreet enough to welcome into their home will come a very close second.