Prince William and Kate Middleton’s ‘stripped-back staff’ could be the reason the Duchess of Cambridge had to pull out of the event last night.
It is understood that Kate, 37, did not attend the Tusk Conservation Awards last night, because one of her children was not feeling well and Kate felt she needed to stay behind when no one else could step in.
It’s unprecedented in the royal family for anyone to cancel because of childcare issues, but it was perhaps inevitable, given that William and Kate have chosen to hire just one nanny, Maria Borrallo, to help look after their children.
The couple shunned royal tradition of having a team of nannies on hand, meaning that if Maria is unwell or on leave there is no back-up.
A similar problem could arise for Prince Harry, 35, and Meghan Markle, 38, who also employ just one nanny to help look after six-month-old Archie Harrison.
Etiquette expert William Hanson told Femail: ‘The trappings of royal life aside, William and Catherine, Harry and Meghan, have the same issues that many parents have and occasionally childcare issues rear their head.
‘Compared to previous generations, raising royal children now does not come with fleets of nannies.’
Prince William, 37, and Kate Middleton’s, 37, hands-on parenting and stripped back staff could be the reason behind Kate’s absence at an evening awards event last night
A similar issue could arise for Prince Harry, 35, and Meghan Markle, 38, who appear to have just one nanny who does not live with them at Frogmore Cottage (pictured here, on tour in South Africa)
It’s believed that Harry and Meghan’s nanny, who has not been named, is called on when they need her, but does not live with the couple at Frogmore Cottage.
Meanwhile, Kate and William’s nanny Maria does reside with the couple at Kensington Palace, but the pair are known to be hands-on parents who purposefully hired only one helper, rather than a team.
The couple initially said they didn’t want to hire a nanny at all, before taking on just Maria Borrallo in 2014 when Prince George was eight months old.
Kate pictured at the event, which was held shortly before a Kensington Palace spokesperson announced the Duchess would not attend the formal awards ceremony ‘due to the children’
Trained at the prestigious Norland College, Borrallo lives at Kensington Palace with the family, but she was seemingly unable to look after the children last night.
By comparison, Prince Harry and Meghan are already onto their third nanny since the birth of baby Archie in May.
The couple are said to have found a good match with their current nanny, who is yet to be officially named.
The first nanny employed by the couple was reportedly not kept on over reports she was ‘unprofessional’, and the second was only employed to work night shifts.
But similarly to Prince William and Kate, having found a nanny they like, Meghan and Harry have just one member of staff to help them with baby Archie, rather than a team of nannies.
Princess Diana famously wanted Prince Harry and William bought up to be as normal as possible, with the mother determined to be as ‘hands-on’ as possible.
She was determined to do a lot of the day-to-day child care and chose to take her sons with her on Royal Tours instead of leaving them at home.
It was only when Diana had to perform royal duties at official events that she would hire a team, with nannies and ‘deputy nannies’. to look after her sons.
The couple first hired Barbara Barnes to lead the childcare for the boys, with the nanny travelling with the royal family to Australia when Prince William was just one year old.
They went on to hire Olga Powell, who was initially ‘deputy nanny’ to Barbara and then took over once Barbara moved on.
She was described as loving but strict, and stayed with the royal family for 15 years supporting them through tumultuous events.
Her firm but caring presence supported Princes William and Harry throughout their formative years and she made sure that their feet remained firmly on the ground.
Certainly the Duchess appeared to be in good spirits at the private reception, pictured, before she cancelled her evening event
Hands-on mother Kate stayed at home with the family last night rather than attend a glitzy award ceremony due to ‘childcare problems’ (pictured with Prince William, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis at Trooping the Colour in July)
Their relationship remained strong with William cancelling an appearance so that he was able to attend her funeral in October 2012.
William and Harry’s nannies would have been expected to teach them both manners and appropriate behaviours including how to bow to the Queen and Queen Mother
After Princess Diana split from Prince Charles, the boys grew famously close to another of their nannies Tiggy Legge-Bourke.
Prince Harry has remained friendly with Tiggy, who did not wear a uniform while looking after Prince Harry and Prince William.
Prince William and Prince Harry were famously close to their nanny Tiggy Legge-Bourke, who Prince Charles hired after his divorce to Princess Diana
In 1996 at the age of 13, William pointedly asked his parents not to attend Eton’s Fourth of June celebrations, inviting Tiggy instead.
Tiggy has attended many of the main events in Harry’s life, and was also among the few guests known to attend Prince Harry and Meghan’s son Archie’s christening, sparking rumours she could have been chosen as a godmother.
However Princess Diana was said to find the relationship between her sons and the nanny difficult.
Meanwhile, Rosemary Albone, a Norland-educated nanny and adviser to Care.com, has previously suggested that Prince Charles received ‘critical emotional support’ from his nanny in his early childhood.
Prince Harry was particularly close to Tiggy, inviting her to his passing out ceremony,
She revealed: ‘Just like his mother, Prince Charles was supported by his nanny, Mabel Anderson, when his parents went on a six month tour when he was three years old. He credited his nanny for providing critical emotional support in his early childhood years and beyond.’
At the time, the role of the royal nanny was quite restrictive when it came to having a private life.
Potential suitors were discouraged, time off was not always forthcoming and their living conditions, by today’s nannies’ standards, would have fallen well short.
Prince Charles’ was supported by his nanny, Mabel Anderson, throughout his formative years and has credited her with providing critical emotional support in his early childhood
The nursery floor would have provided the nanny with shared living quarters, but these were not regarded as ‘luxurious’ in any way.
The potential for the royal nannies to interact with peers in any form of friendship and leisure time would be heavily restricted.
Charles had two main nannies, Helen Lightbody and Mabel Anderson. The Queen was not present at his first three birthdays.