Every parent knows how hard it is to find trustworthy childcare but what happens when your children are literally princes and princess and you live in Buckingham Palace? Well, things get a bit complicated and by bit, we mean a lot!
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While Royals do have a few perks, for starters you get to take your pick from the best of the best nannies and of course, money is no problem but they do also have very specific requirements for their nannies and that is why the applicants are made to jump through many hoops and here are just some of them.
It’s a Demanding Position
To be a Royal Nanny, you have to think beyond your average 9 to 5 office job. In addition to watching over the young ones, royal nannies tend to care for the pets in the family as well. They are also housekeepers and cooks.
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Though demanding, it also comes with job security, once a nanny is chosen to work for the Royal family, they often continue to serve the house until retirement but not everyone who is hired is cut out for the job. Take the headlines back in 2017 when Prince William and Kate Middleton’s nanny resigned despite the fact she made $40,000 a year, along with accommodation within the Palace walls. It is rumoured that the requirements of her status were taking too much of a toll. So, she quit.
They Have No Personal Life
That’s right, being a nanny is a full-time position that expects you to give up having a family of your own. This is only because the Royal family wants a nanny who is dedicated to their job and places in all their efforts to serve.
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Also, Nannies are expected to never discuss the royal family’s private life to anyone and this becomes rather easy to ensure when your help lives at the Palace 24/7 and never get time to yourself.
They Live in the Palace
Like we mentioned above, Royal Nannies are expected to live at the Buckingham Palace. since their job isn’t a regular time card sort of position. They are required to be on-call 24/7 to care for the kids. Think of it this way, If the kids have a bad dream, they’re there. Or even just for a midnight snack.
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Royal nannies are also there for the children for every major milestone in their lives. It’s said that Royal nannies are even required to teach infants how to crawl. Throughout it all, they are expected to fill the parents into the children’s experiences, so they don’t feel left out.
It Takes Years of Training
It’s no simple task to raise Royal children and not just anyone can put their name in the hat to be picked. Nannies that serve the Royal family go through years of training to be qualified. Just to be considered for the job, you have to have at least three years of training under your belt.
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Many of the nannies that serve the Royal family are graduates of Norland College. Norland College is an elite academy that shapes and moulds high society nannies. This way the Royal family can be assured that whichever nanny they pick will be one which is trained and prepared for the demands of the position.
Travelling with the Royals Isn’t a Vacation
Sure, travelling to far off destinations might sound like a great idea. Makes for a great time to be able to kick up your feet and relax. But for Royal nannies, travelling with the family is anything but a vacation.
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Granted, nannies do get to rub elbows with high profile people. However, these encounters don’t last long and most of the time, the nannies are expected to be neither seen nor heard. And while they also get to travel in private jets to exotic locations, they are working the entire time they are there and probably don’t get any opportunities to wander off to sightsee.
Part Of The Team
Maria Borrallo is the caretaker of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s three children. Anyone will tell you that having three kids to look after is a tough job. Luckily though, she isn’t the only one looking out for the Royal children.
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Aside from their nanny Maria, Prince Louis, Princess Charlotte, and Prince George have the entire staff looking out for them. The staff usually consists of the chef, the cleaning staff, nursemaids, the publicist, and the security team who all make sure the royal children are well-taken care off, well the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are busy with their public duties.
No Physical Punishment Allowed
When it comes to watching over children, a nanny must be firm. This ensures that the children are on their best behaviours, especially in front of adoring fans and cameras. But there is one form of punishment that is not allowed. Nannies working for the Royal family are not allowed under any circumstances to physically reprimand the children.
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If a nanny is spotted administering physical punishment such as spankings, they are fired on the spot. According to a popular saying in Norland, a child is never naughty, only the behaviour they display. This is a refreshing fact about the royal family since most of the times they tend to adhere to dated parenting methods.
Their Living Quarters Aren’t Luxurious
Some may think that all the rooms in the Palace are luxurious. However, the living quarters for the employees are far from it. A former employee working for the Royal family stated that the rooms resembled much like university dorm rooms.
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Within the employees’ rooms, you’ll find a single bed, a closet for clothes, and a sink to wash up. You’ll also be amazed to find out that employees don’t live there for free. They, like most people, have to set aside a portion of their pay for room and board.
Norland School
Why is Norland considered so prestigious? Well, there are a lot of reasons. Locating in Bath, England, Norland College brings up nannies and teaches them the ins and outs of all aspects of child care. There they spend three years of their lives in lectures and practical applications before they are placed with a family.
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During their education, the nannies-in-training work with robotic dolls that mimic real-life babies. These dolls are said to cry and even wet themselves to help the nannies become better at child care. At the school, you’ll find that most of the attendees are females, while there is a small portion for males.
They Have Special Skills
In addition to undergoing their lectures and basic childcare understanding, the Norland nannies learn other skills as well. These skills may come helpful when working for any celebrity or Royal family.
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The nannies from Norland go through intensive combat training and are trained in hand to hand combat. They also learn defensive driving to ensure that their children are protected from any situation that may come up.
They Must Love Children
The Royal Family wants to ensure that their children are loved through and through just like any other parent would and that the nannies aren’t in it just for the perks of the position. Just to be accepted into the prestigious Norland College, each applicant must write an essay explaining why they want to become a nanny.
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In the essay, the college wants to see the people who care for children and who demonstrate a true desire to be with them. You can tell just by watching Maria Borrallo with the Royal little ones that she cares for them and that they share a tight bond.
They Spend a Lot of Time Playing
When it comes to being a responsible nanny, it doesn’t just mean keeping the children on a tight schedule. For Maria Borrallo, it includes a lot of time outdoors, a philosophy Kate Middleton has talked about extensively. The duchess as well as Maria believe in letting the children be children at times.
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Come rain or shine, Maria ensures that the children have fun. She allows them to get dirty and ride bikes just like normal children. And just like normal children, they go to bed promptly at 7 pm. They also try new food so they don’t become finicky eaters.
There Are Secret Staff Parties
There is a lot of speculation about what goes on behind closed doors at the Palace and while the tabloids would make everything look grim and dreary, there are certain protocols which are set in to place to ensure the staff is well taken care of.
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The big one is parties which allow the staff to blow off some steam. It’s unclear if the nannies partake in such events but It is known though, that these events are a well-kept secret among the staff and only a select few know about the shenanigans that take place in staff quarters at the Palace.
Kate Wanted Her Mom for the Job
While Maria Borrallo seems to be perfect in every way for raising the royal children, that wasn’t always the plan for Kate Middleton. Instead, she wanted her mother, Carole, for the role. This seemed like a natural option for Kate, who is very close to her mother.
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Unfortunately, having Kate’s mother watching over the children was not ideal as it went against the Royal protocol. Plus, Carole wasn’t trained properly to manage the future King or Queen of England. Instead, Maria was hired. Even though, not officially the children’s nanny, Carole does spend a lot of time with her grand childer and dots on them.
Nanny Poaching Happens
Competition for such a position is fierce. Occasionally, the family members are put at odds with each other when it comes to who should be allowed to pick the nanny. Take, for instance, Prince Charles and Diana.
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During Prince Charles and Princess Diana divorce battles, a huge dispute arose between the two as to who should pick the nanny. No details are known on who won, but the young princes’ nanny was pictured near the Palace, assuming Prince Charles got his way.
They Receive Gifts
You can say a lot of things about the Royal Family, but ungenerous they are not. When they receive gifts, they often give them away to staff members. With Princess Diana and Prince Charles spearheading this tradition.
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According to their Butler, when they would receive an expensive gift, they would hand the gift off to a staff member just because they didn’t have any use for it or didn’t need it. It is also said that the Queen hands out gifts each year at Christmas and the longer a member has been serving, the more extravagant the gift is.
They Are Trained in Etiquette
One of the final classes any attendee of Norland College must attend is an eight-week course that prepares them for life in the limelight that often comes with upper-class families.
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One part of the eight-week course is on etiquette. They learn how to eat properly along with how to speak and address people who have titles. They also learn all about body language, to better interpret and understand their employers, amongst many other things to help them find work after they graduate.
They Have a Lot of Experience
Attendees at Norland College learn a lot of skills, but newly graduated nannies aren’t considered to be worthy of working with the Royal Family. To become a royal nanny, you must have a lot of prior experience before they are even considered.
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Take Maria Borrallo for example. She has nearly ten years under her belt taking care of children. Now, it looks like she will have her hands full helping to raise the young Royals from Prince William and Kate Middleton.
They Don’t Always Have to Wear Uniforms
The Royal nannies are often spotted in a beige, rather unflattering, dress, with the signature Norland hat and white gloves. Despite popular rumours, Royal nannies don’t always have to wear this uniform when on duty.
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These uniforms are only required for special occasions, for example, Maria was spotted wearing it at Pippa Middleton’s wedding. But when she is simply staying at home or running errands for the family or playing with the children, she can wear whatever she wants.
They Are Aware of the Photographers
Working for Kings and Queens comes with many challenges along with dangers. One of these challenges includes dealing with the photographers eagerly waiting to snap a picture of the young Prince and Princess.
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Royal nannies, including Maria Borrallo, must be constantly aware of the photographers and press. However, they are heavily briefed on the fact that they must never engage with them or be interested in having their pictures taken. In fact, when not at a public event it is highly important for the royal heirs to maintain a sense of privacy and for Maria to ensure, that by keeping them away from photographers.
The Job Is Top Secret
Royal nannies get a first-hand look at the lives of the royal family, behind closed doors. They witness everything, from the good and the bad. They are the wallflowers that blend into the background and keep a keen eye on the little ones. But the closer they get to the family, the more secrets they learn.
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In part, nannies essentially become secret keepers and seal those records even in death. If a nanny exposes too much information about their employers, they can get into some serious trouble. Take Queen Elizabeth’s nanny Marion “Crawfie” Crawford. Marion divulged her experience in a book about her time working for the Royal Family and was kicked out.
They Grow Close to the Children
Simply by watching Maria Borrallo with the young Royal George, Charlotte, and Louis, you can tell they have a special bond. She loves the children and they love her in return. For most nannies of the Royal Family, they essentially become adopted by the family.
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But sometimes parents might get jealous when the nannies grow too close to those they look after. Take Princess Diana and the nanny Barbara Barnes who looked after Prince William and Prince Harry, it is rumoured that the two fought over the boy’s attention. Sadly, when the Princess died, this attachment only deepened. Barbara herself passed away in 2012 and Prince William attended her funeral.
They Are Subjected to Background Checks
For any parent looking into hiring a nanny, certain steps must be taken to ensure the safety of the children. The Royal Family, however, takes things a bit further as should be expected. To ensure that the press or the public has no doubts about who the nanny is, the Royal Family does extensive background checks before hiring them.
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Then the nanny must go through another background check every three years to ensure there is no dirt that the press or anyone else can find on the nanny. This inspection isn’t just done only for the Nanny but also for her immediate family, to fully ensure she has nothing to hide.
They Know More Than One Language
When it comes to education, future Kings and Queens are well versed in a lot of subjects, especially foreign languages and royal nannies are expected to aid in this matter. They are also teachers for the young Royals and often speak several languages, fluently.
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Maria Borrallo, who comes from Spain, is teaching Prince George and Princess Charlotte Spanish. Another language the children are learning is French. In total, Maria speaks six languages, which makes her the perfect tutor for the young Royals.
They Sign Confidentiality Agreements
There is a lot that the public doesn’t know about the Royal Family and that is the way they like it. Part of the charm of the royals is that they are very good at keeping secrets and ensuring that no private information is leaked are a myriad of legal binding confidentiality agreements.
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The nannies, at the core of family life for the royals, are expected to sign these documents before they are even considered of being hired. The agreement means that anyone working for the Royal Family is not allowed to disclose any information about what they see or hear. A new clause was also added at Queen Elizebeth’s behest, which doesn’t allow the nannies even after retiring, to write a book about her life with the Royals,