Things You Probably Never Knew About Prince William & Kate Middleton's Nanny

You might never have heard the name Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo before, and that's because she works entirely behind the scenes. Borrallo is the mostly invisible helping hand in Prince William and Princess Catherine's royal household, and if you think the Wales' three children turned out pretty great, Borrallo is, in large part, to thank for that.

Borrallo first joined William and Catherine's household in 2014, and was thrown into the deep end from the get-go, with Catherine and William jetting off to New Zealand and Australia for a royal tour that year. George was a tender eight months old at the time, and Borrallo was at the young prince's side to make sure he had what he needed as his parents fulfilled their royal duties. Having been the three young royals' nanny for well over a decade, it might be safe to say that Borrallo is like a second mother to the three young royals. "Maria loves the children dearly," a source told People in 2018. "She can be firm and strict, but she is very loving and soft with them too."

Borrallo also has a playful spirit, and eagle-eyed pundits once saw her taking the royals out to a park, riding their bikes without a care in the world one sunny day. While her job might look glamorous (to think Borrallo has inside intel on all the royal tea), she has to constantly toe the line between being the children's caretaker without stepping on Catherine and William's toes. "Royal nannies need to strike a delicate balance between providing care and emotional support for their charge while not being seen to interfere with the decision-making of royal parents," royal author Carolyn Harris told People. So far, Borrallo deserves a medal for her discretion — and her ability to keep her job for over a decade.

Maria Borrallo isn't the type of nanny you find in your local telephone directory. The very fact that she's the nanny of the future king of England should tip people off that she's no ordinary caretaker. Prince William might have made parenting choices that left us scratching our heads in the past, but employing Borrallo is certainly not one of them. She is armed to the teeth with the knowledge and skills to look after and raise royal children, all thanks to her education at the renowned Norland College in Bath in the U.K. The school has been described as "Mary Poppins meets James Bond," per People. No wonder a spokesperson for William and Princess Catherine told the Daily Mail in 2014 that the royal couple was "delighted she has chosen to join them."

Norland offers a three-year course, after which you receive your degree and can go out into the world as a certified supernanny, so to speak. Borrallo was hardly new at the whole thing when she joined the royals. Prior to becoming Prince George's nanny, she'd spent the better part of two decades minding upper class children. Royal commentator Victoria Murphy told ABC News that there's no one better qualified to look after royal children than a Norland nanny. "The nannies are taught everything from defensive driving to security issues to how to care for a future king or queen," Murphy explained. "So [Borrallo] just really knows everything that you could possibly need to know about bringing up a child."

Norland nannies are trained to look after children up until the age of 8, and with Prince Louis nearing that age in 2026, rumors are rife that Borrallo might leave the royal children's side soon.

The thing about Norland College nannies is that they're trained in more than just child minding. Because the school prides itself on training nannies to look after high-profile children, it also prepares students for emergency situations, like getting pursued by overeager photographers or would-be kidnappers. The royal family has many hidden talents, but it might be safe to say that Maria Borrallo outshines them when it comes to her fighting and driving skills.

While Borrallo was trained to handle a Silver Cross pram like a pro, she can likely also kick some serious butt, thanks to the taekwondo training Norland offers. The training is done to prepare nannies to ward off kidnappers, and they are specially trained to do some serious damage to the assailant while keeping a firm hold of the baby's pram. Impressive. Along with taekwondo, Borrallo is also armed with advanced driving skills. Nannies are trained to burn rubber safely in any weather condition in case they need to get away fast or find themselves being pursued by photographers.

Royal commentator Victoria Murphy touted Norland's curriculum during an interview with ABC News, noting that students from the school, like Borrallo, are in high demand because Norland's "nannies are so perfect." "She [Borrallo] just really knows everything that you could possibly need to know about bringing up a child," Murphy said.

The royal family is known for having secret skills. Queen Elizabeth II could speak more than one language, and Prince William can speak multiple languages, too. Thanks to Maria Borrallo, the same is true for William and Princess Catherine's three children. Borrallo hails from Spain, which means she speaks the language fluently, making her the perfect teacher for the three young royals. (She can reportedly speak a total of six languages!) It's long been a custom for young royals to learn a second language, and while this language is usually French, it makes sense that the three young royals learned Spanish, given that their nanny is fluent in it and that their mother became acquainted with the language when she traveled to Chile during her gap year.

It would appear that Borrallo is an excellent teacher. Princess Charlotte could count in Spanish when she was barely 3 years old, and her brother, Prince George, was reported to be able to count to 10 in the language when he was about the same age. Royal commentator Pauline Maclaran told the Daily Express (via Hello!) that nannies like Borrallo have many duties, and looking after the children is simply one of many. "Apart from looking after their everyday needs and security, they can also offer a lot of support in developing the children's cognitive and social skills," Maclaran explained.

As it turns out, it's not just royal families across the world who have to follow strict rules, Norland College nannies have a set of their own. A rather interesting one? Nannies are not allowed to refer to the brood they're looking after as "kids." Author and Norland College expert Louise Heren told the Mirror that the reason for this rule is pretty simple, explaining, "It's a mark of respect for the children as individuals." Furthermore, "kid" is a baby goat. So, what does Borrallo call the young royals? According to Heren, she either uses their given names or calls them "children."

During an interview with The Sun, Heren elaborated on Borrallo's duties and what her day-to-day life with the royal children looks like, noting that Norland nannies are trained to ensure they keep the kids active, mostly by taking them outside to play. "Lots of bike rides, playing with their dogs, potentially some gardening. Norland is very into teaching children through play," Heren said. Borrallo also prepares the young royals for appearances at events and coaches them on how to behave. "She'll say: 'This is your opportunity to show Mummy and Daddy just how wonderful you are, and you are to smile and be really good for them and then we can go inside and play,'" Heren explained.

While Borrallo isn't allowed to call Princess Charlotte and Princes George and Louis "kids," she's very much in charge of ensuring they're disciplined and well-behaved kids. "There will be no messing. That's because Maria will be aware that as they step off planes, holding mum's hands, smiling and waving to the crowds, there can't be any crying or terrible twos or tantrums," Heren said.

The royal family dress code is nothing if not fascinating, but for Maria Borrallo, choosing what to wear to royal events isn't usually on her list of things to worry about. Norland nannies are given a very specific uniform when they graduate, and they can choose whether they want to wear it at their place of work. The plain brown uniform paired with a bowler hat, while admittedly looking a bit outdated, sure makes the nannies stand out in a crowd. Borrallo drew plenty of attention when she wore her Norland uniform to Pippa Middleton's wedding as she minded the royal children.

Usually, however, Borrallo wears dark blue pants paired with a polo shirt in a lighter shade of blue. Wintertime sees her sporting a warm coat and tights. She's also been spotted wearing gloves in both the winter and summer. Commenting on the Norland uniform, expert Louise Heren told The Sun that, while some might gawk at the ancient-looking getup, the college's ethos is far from outdated. "Just because Norland nannies wear the brown uniform, they look quite old-fashioned, that doesn't mean their message is old-fashioned. It's no nonsense," she explained.

Maria Borrallo might practically be a member of the royal family, but she almost wasn't. Rumor has it that Princess Catherine and Prince William didn't initially want to have a nanny, but as time went on, the two royals reportedly realized that they couldn't quite balance it all with their royal duties. At first, William turned to the woman who was his nanny — Jessie Webb. At 72, however, she was very much a temporary solution. Eventually, the couple employed Borrallo, and it might be safe to say that they've never regretted their decision, especially since Catherine and Borrallo apparently get along swimmingly.

"We know that she has become very close to Kate since she started working with her," royal commentator Victoria Murphy told ABC News. "They spent a lot of time together. Other than his parents, Prince George's nanny is the person who knows him best in the whole world and who's closest to him. And she has a lovely bond with George." Norland College expert Louise Heren told The Sun that she imagines Borrallo is just like a normal member of the Wales family at this point. Given that she spends so much time with Catherine's children, Heren said it's very likely there's a close rapport between the two women. "So that partnership between them — partnership rather than member of staff — will be the case there," Heren explained, adding, "I imagine she's quite chummy with Catherine."

The Princess of Wales' affinity for Spanish fashion brands is also reportedly thanks to Borrallo's influence. Princess Charlotte notably sported a bonnet from the Spanish brand Irulea when Catherine showed her off to eager royal fans on the hospital steps after her birth. There's been ample speculation that the bonnet was a gift from Borrallo.

One might surmise that, since Maria Borrallo spends so much time at home with the royal kids that she's basically their stand-in parent and running the Wales' household, but this is not the case. Admittedly, this is the way the royal family used to operate back in the day, with Queen Elizabeth II's children mostly being taken care of by their nanny and the queen seeing her children at appointed times during the day, royal biographer Ingrid Seward told People. Prince William and Princess Catherine are doing the exact opposite, following in the footsteps of William's mother, Princess Diana, who often put her duties as a mother before her royal responsibilities and didn't rely on a nanny as much.

Borrallo doesn't wait hand and foot on Princess Charlotte and Princes George and Louis. Instead, William and Catherine let their children do some household chores so they can grow up to be independent and responsible adults. Borrallo also doesn't live with the Wales family, with William and Catherine largely preferring not to have any live-in staff to keep their children's lives as normal as possible.

When it comes to the kids' school events, William and Catherine also don't leave Borrallo to provide moral support to their children — they do it themselves. They've been seen attending school events for years, despite onlookers gawking at them as they cheer for their kids on the sports field. The royal parents also don't rely on their nanny to take the kids to school, mostly doing drop-offs themselves.

Being the royal nanny comes with some serious perks, like attending fancy royal events. Maria Borrallo was notably at Princess Charlotte's christening ceremony, and she's also been spotted minding the young royals at Trooping the Colour. She famously provided the public with a glimpse of Prince George as she and the young royal peeked through a window during the proceedings. In 2023, Borrallo was present at the event yet again, and eagle-eyed photographers spotted her using her phone to take some candid snaps of Princess Catherine interacting with her children ahead of their public appearance. We bet plenty of publications would pay good money to get access to Borrallo's camera roll.

In December 2025, Borrallo made headlines when she was seen driving to King Charles III's Christmas lunch with the Wales family. Scoring an invite to this event is not a given, and Borrallo was luckier than some actual members of the royal family. According to reports, Charles notably excluded his disgraced brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, along with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, from the event. And, of course, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle weren't invited either since they're in the United States and not on the best of terms with the royal family.

It's easy to take someone like Maria Borrallo for granted, who works quietly behind the scenes while also having a massive impact on the young royals' upbringing. But Prince William and Princess Catherine certainly don't, and they proved it when they awarded her with a very special royal honor.

In March 2026, Borrallo was presented with a Silver Royal Victorian Medal at a royal ceremony held at Windsor Castle. This award is extra special and different from knighthoods or becoming a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE). King Charles III gets to decide who he wants to award the Royal Victorian Medal to, which makes it all the more coveted. In a statement, the family noted that Borrallo received the medal "for services to the Prince and Princess of Wales," per People. Clearly, all her hard work and dedication to the royal children have not gone unnoticed over the years.

Prince William was the one who presented Borrallo with the award, and while the beloved nanny's medal didn't come with a fancy title, she now gets to write RVM after her name. Recipients of the Royal Victorian Medal are chosen for their unwavering dedication to the royal family, and it might be safe to say that few have shown as much commitment as Borrallo. Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis have grown up to be very well-behaved children, and while Catherine and William's parenting style has certainly played a big part in it, one cannot discount Borrallo's influence.