Royal Nannies & Governesses

[carlota]

i also can understand why marie chantal has hannies: 4 children can't be easy to look after, and i guess she and pavlos may want sometimes to take time for themselves! if she can pay for 2 or 3 full time nannies and if this doesn't mean the children will be raised by them, i see no problem in it.

 

[Genevieve]

i also can understand why marie chantal has hannies: 4 children can't be easy to look after, and i guess she and pavlos may want sometimes to take time for themselves! if she can pay for 2 or 3 full time nannies and if this doesn't mean the children will be raised by them, i see no problem in it.

Many women have four children though and do not have an ounce of help. If you can afford that much help that is okay, but it's also important to note also that there are many families in this world who have four or more children and only have two parents.

Personally I think it seems excessive to have that much help. I think one or even two nannies is okay, but why have so many kids if you pass them off to nannies? Plus Maria Olympia, Konstantine and probably even Achilleas are all in school now that they would only be home for a few hours after school through the evenings. Only Odysseas would need much help if Marie Chantal had work related to her clothing business or other socialite events to attend.

 

[Layla1971]

Many women have four children though and do not have an ounce of help. If you can afford that much help that is okay, but it's also important to note also that there are many families in this world who have four or more children and only have two parents.

Personally I think it seems excessive to have that much help. I think one or even two nannies is okay, but why have so many kids if you pass them off to nannies? Plus Maria Olympia, Konstantine and probably even Achilleas are all in school now that they would only be home for a few hours after school through the evenings. Only Odysseas would need much help if Marie Chantal had work related to her clothing business or other socialite events to attend.

I'm not a big MC fan, but I must agree on this bit. My mum raised four kids without any help and she worked. Admittedly she was exhausted, and got help from neighbors and friends when we were young but as soon as we were in school she did most of it on her own. 1-2 nannies is fine but any more and you're just not a very hands-on mum.

 

[Alexandria]

I'm not a big MC fan, but I must agree on this bit. My mum raised four kids without any help and she worked. Admittedly she was exhausted, and got help from neighbors and friends when we were young but as soon as we were in school she did most of it on her own. 1-2 nannies is fine but any more and you're just not a very hands-on mum.

How many nannies does Cristina have?

I think I recall somewhere reading that she had only one or two nannies. She is in a situation comparable to Marie Chantal's in that she has four children, three of whom are all in school (though Miguel like Achilleas is probably only in school half a day), and Irene would be like Odysseas who would need full time care being so young. Cristina and Inaki both work as do Pavlos and Marie Chantal. Cristina also performs the occasional royal duty.

Every situation is different of course, but it's the closest measurement I can think of rather than comparing Marie Chantal's lives to the rest of our lives, which is of course vastly different. I have an aunt who has four kids and she and my uncle both work. She had them in daycare and got flexible work hours so that she could be at work for 5 in the morning but be home in time to pick the kids up from school and have the evening with them. She was definitely exhausted but aren't most parents?

 

[Layla1971]

How many nannies does Cristina have?

I think I recall somewhere reading that she had only one or two nannies. She is in a situation comparable to Marie Chantal's in that she has four children, three of whom are all in school (though Miguel like Achilleas is probably only in school half a day), and Irene would be like Odysseas who would need full time care being so young. Cristina and Inaki both work as do Pavlos and Marie Chantal. Cristina also performs the occasional royal duty.

Every situation is different of course, but it's the closest measurement I can think of rather than comparing Marie Chantal's lives to the rest of our lives, which is of course vastly different. I have an aunt who has four kids and she and my uncle both work. She had them in daycare and got flexible work hours so that she could be at work for 5 in the morning but be home in time to pick the kids up from school and have the evening with them. She was definitely exhausted but aren't most parents?

One's lifestyle may be different, but the needs of children aren't. You're either hands-on or not. Yes, working does influence your role as a parent, but since MC doesn't have to conform to the rules of normal working hours so, shouldn't she need less help?
Daycare and babysitters are for us and nannies for the wealthy. That doesn't mean she couldn't spend the time most parents would spend working, with her children. Either her children are extremely difficult to raise or she doesn't like dealing with their needs in too much detail.
The only other explanation is that she has the nannies in shifts - meaning 2 work at night and the other 2 in the daytime?

 

[Smilla]

The only other explanation is that she has the nannies in shifts - meaning 2 work at night and the other 2 in the daytime?

This may sound like a naive question (and it probably is), but how can she afford to pay four nannies? It's not as if she was paid for being royal!

 

[Layla1971]

This may sound like a naive question (and it probably is), but how can she afford to pay four nannies? It's not as if she was paid for being royal!

MC's father is very wealthy and she received a trust fund when she got married.

 

[Smilla]

MC's father is very wealthy and she received a trust fund when she got married.

Oh! I want one too!!!!!!!!

(Thanks for the information, Layla!)

 

[Layla1971]

Oh! I want one too!!!!!!!!

(Thanks for the information, Layla!)

You're welcome, and just to add - it was supposed to be 125 million, I'm gussing dollars.

 

[Smilla]

You're welcome, and just to add - it was supposed to be 125 million, I'm gussing dollars.

Now this is truly mindboggling.
I'm going to meditate on that number the next time I have a look at my bank account.

 

[purple_platinum]

I think this is the nanny of Infanta Cristina's children



(photo from newscom)

 

[Emilia]

I know that Princess Mathilde has a nanny . When Gabriel was born , they had someone who named Fia , I think .

 

[DDD]

This is a picture of the baby-sitter of the two Dutch princesses, taken at the arrival of the baptism of Princess Alixia.

Picture: www.petersmulders.nl

 

[pollyemma]

This is a picture of the baby-sitter of the two Dutch princesses, taken at the arrival of the baptism of Princess Alixia.

Picture: www.petersmulders.nl

what a lucky woman! I'd love to have her job.

 

[fandesacs2003]

IMO, royal are like the other people! They are different caracters! You can see Infanta Cristina, accompanying her sons at school in the morning, despite that she easily could send the with the nanny, and this is because she likes to do it by herself! On the other side, other royals use the big car with driver to carry children at school, it's just because they choose to do like this. Every people is different!
As regards nannies in general, you can combine both. Nanny could be used to do the 'small jobs' like cleaning the babies, or changing their clothes, but it does not impeach the parents to talk to their children love them and teach them things! RAISING children is not only feeding them and cleaning them. You can be helped for this but stay present and close to your children! Late Princess Diana was very close to her children, but of course she was helped and I do not think that she very often changed their baby napkins!

 

[corazon]

Louise's nanny.
source: picturedesck.

 

[Emily]

I completely agree with the need for parents to stay close to their children. I also think it's great to see some of them taking their kids to school. I wouldn't be too quick to judge those that don't, though. It could be that it is just a bigger security hassle to have the "principals" out with their kids instead of the kids alone -- plus there is always the media attention with the added adults that might not be there (i.e. the agreement that protected Wm. and Harry) with kids only. I don't think we really know all the reasons for those that don't take their kids.

 

[Yennie]

What about this woman... I´ve seen her in several photos together with William and Harry. Do we know anything about her?
She must be a nanny right? Who is she? When did she start working for the rf...??



photo from corbis

 

[Marengo]

Queen Wilhelmina was raised by the formidable nanny , Miss Saxon-Winter. After Wilhelmina's education was completed, Queen Emma advised her to her cousin, Queen Elisabeth of Roumania, who wanted this nanny to educate the children of Crownprincess Marie. Marie was amazed (and almost shocked) by the severe ways of the nanny and she was fired soon afterwards.

 

[Emily]

Yennie that woman is named Olga Powell. When William was born his first nanny was Barbara Barnes. Soon after I started hearing about Olga Powell who I belive was referred to as the "night nanny". When Prince William went to Wetherby, Barbara Barnes was dismissed - supposedly because of personality clashes with the Princess of Wales - and a new nanny named Ruth Wallace, I believe a former nurse, was hired. She and Olga were the two primary nannies (Olga always kind of in the background) until Harry joined William at boarding school. At some point Olga was left or was let go, and a woman named Jessie Webb became a second nanny -- this was at the stage that the marriage was falling apart. After the separation, Tiggy Legge-Bourke was employed by Prince Charles to help with the boys when he had them but I don't really know who Diana employed at that time. Perhaps someone else can add more information?

 

[crisiñaki]

Marie Chantal has 4 kids and 4 nannies? God, what's that woman thinking? Does she actually spend some time with her kids?, even Pavlos is more hands down in their children upbringing than her, and what are her soo called occupations: run a line of clothing (that's actually run by her sister), go to social acts and say "I'm a princess"? She's the antecessor of Paris Hilton, thing that's not very honorable...

Infanta Cristina (BORN royal) has a job, goes to royal acts, keeps her marriage going and still manages to be there for her 4 kids no matter what as well as her husband, this is maybe the first picture I've ever seen of her nanny, because the kids are usually with her, Iñaki or someone from their families, she even comes to the point of taking a late flight from Madrid to Barcelona to be able to pick her children from school, that's a mom ; I guess she follows the example set from her mother, Queen Sofía, who was said to be very hands down in her children's upbringing and it shows in who they are...

Talking about Queen Sofía and her "kids", is there any picture of them with a nanny? because I haven't found a single one yet

BTW: what's the difference between a nanny and a governess?

 

[Oppie]

BTW: what's the difference between a nanny and a governess

I think a nanny primary job is caregiving and a governess primary job is to be a teacher.

 

[crisiñaki]

I think a nanny primary job is caregiving and a governess primary job is to be a teacher.

So the governess is hired for home-school but does take care of the kids anyway? Or if you have a governess you have to hire a nanny as well? Even if I don't believe there are many governesses in our time because these days Royals send their kids to public/private schools

 

[Oppie]

There is a post on the first page that kind of explains it. My guess it would depend on the situation, a governess durning the day and a nanny at night. Or a governess durning the day but also a nanny for eating and getting ready for the day. Or a nanny when the kids are younger (10 and under) and then a governess when they are older.

 

[crisiñaki]

There is a post on the first page that kind of explains it. My guess it would depend on the situation, a governess durning the day and a nanny at night. Or a governess durning the day but also a nanny for eating and getting ready for the day. Or a nanny when the kids are younger (10 and under) and then a governess when they are older.

Thank you Oppie

 

[Oppie]

From Royal Insight Nov 2005 http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/page4570.asp

Could you tell me more about how the current Queen was educated?
The Queen, like many members of the Royal Family before her, was educated at the family home, by a governess.
In 1933 Marion Crawford, known as Crawfie, became Princess Elizabeth's first governess. She stayed with the Royal Family for fifteen years, until both Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret were grown up.
Following the Abdication of Edward VIII, Princess Elizabeth's education became tailored to her future role as Queen. She began to receive more specialised tuition, including sessions in law and constitutional history with Henry Marten, Vice-Provost of Eton.
The Princess was also taught French by a number of governesses and, during the war years, learnt much about European history from the Vicomtesse de Bellaigue, a Belgian who had escaped from her native country with her sons just two days before the German invasion in 1940.

 

[Scherezada]

I think that Marichantal can have as many kids and nannies as she wants because she's a millionare, since there's not monarchy on greece the taxpayers don't pay for neither their kids not their nannies, I think she spend time with the kids of course, is just that she's used to that kind of life style since she was born, she will live as a princess with that fortune of her father. I'm not a fan of marichantal but nobody pays for their expenses to be honest, I would find that pretty wrong if those four nannies were paid by the taxpayers.

Cristina, I like her very much because she's very down to earth, but lets not get confused here, as good as a mom as she is, of course she have a staff at home, she dosn't clean the house or cook the meals, somebody does it for her of course and she of course have nannies, and she have great comprehension of the people on La Caixa because most of the time she's traveling on her funtions as Infanta; having said that the truth is that Cristina dosn't relay than much on the nannies, she's a great mother and I really like this coupe, always together having fun with their four kids in healthy gatherings.

 

[norwegianne]

I read in the paper edition of VG that Mette-Marit and Haakon had hired another nanny. They already had one, but she's on maternity leave, so when hiring her temp, they also hired another one permanently. So they have two nannies now.

The two new nannies were both straight out of school, according to VG.

I suppose this new situation not only signifies in terms of having a third child in the family, but also that the King and Queen has signaled that they won't be traveling much on longer trips out of Europe this year, and that Haakon and Mette-Marit will be.

 

[crisiñaki]

Cristina, I like her very much because she's very down to earth, but lets not get confused here, as good as a mom as she is, of course she have a staff at home, she dosn't clean the house or cook the meals, somebody does it for her of course and she of course have nannies, and she have great comprehension of the people on La Caixa because most of the time she's traveling on her funtions as Infanta; having said that the truth is that Cristina dosn't relay than much on the nannies, she's a great mother and I really like this coupe, always together having fun with their four kids in healthy gatherings.

I'm not saying she doesn't have help, I'm saying that she doesn't rely the upbringing of her children to the nannies and spend more time with them than the people hired to help her spite her occupations, yes, her work schedule is very flexible, but she has to travel a lot and go to many royal acts and still she manages to spend as much time as possible with the Urdangarín quintet (including handsome hubby )

 

[purple_platinum]

Prince Christian of Denmark's nanny, Mette.
picture taken during the prince's christening. (from polfoto)