Mary Poppins does exist! She’s Maria Teresa Borrallo, the longtime nanny of Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
Being the trusted nanny of Kate Middleton and Prince William’s children isn’t an easy job. It can even be a royal pain in the butt sometimes. That’s why Maria has a few expert tricks to keep these future kings and queens in line!
Maria, who trained at the prestigious Norland College, has been a “supernanny” since 1982.
She first started working for Kate and William by looking after Prince George when he was six months old. Now, she also looks after the two other children.
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If anyone knows some of the tricks Maria uses, it’s Louise Heren.
She studied at the same college where Maria trained and has shared these skills in her book, Nanny in a Book, and in an interview with Mirror .
Keep reading to learn these secrets of the trade!
Give the children a run-down of their agenda before heading out
While a normal child only has “play” scheduled for the day, the royal children must prepare for royal outings.
This is why Louise believes that Kate and Maria give the kids a breakdown of what to expect for an outing.
This includes who they might meet and when they are expected to wave back.
“Her job is to keep them happy, safe and well but equally they need to be presentable and well behaved when they are on parade,” Louise said.
Meal etiquette
Any royal fan knows how important meal etiquette is to a royal. It’s why they must hold tea cups a certain way and balance their food on their forks.
For the royal children, routine is a must, says Louise.
Any time they sit down to eat is a time for them to practice their etiquette.
This includes counting out the cutlery and fine china and giving the children a choice of what they eat so as to avoid tantrums.
Don’t refer to the young royals as “kids”
Louise believes that Maria has a fair approach to the royal brood. She is likely “nurturing and loving” but also willing to dish out discipline when necessary — as any good nanny should.
“It is about training the children by example rather than just telling them,’ she added. ‘It’s about saying “why did you do that? Think about how that would have been received.'”
She also doesn’t refer to them as “kids.” This is a word that was banned from the college they trained at. She likely refers to them as “children” instead.
Prevent tantrums before they happen
Even with a supernanny like Maria, tantrums are still possible.
That’s why the college trains their nannies to spot the early signs of a tantrum and correct it before it happens. This prevents it from happening again in the future.
Keep bedtimes as routine as possible
It’s well-established by now that routine is an important part of raising royal children. Louise says that the bedtime routine consists of a bath, pajamas, and a nighttime story. These activities signal that it’s time for bed and helps them unwind.
Another important part of the nighttime routine is ensuring that the children are comfortable in the dark.
This ensures that they stay in their own beds throughout the night.
“Although a nightlight is not necessary for helping your baby go off to sleep, a low lamp you can switch on when checking on him that does not create a blaze of light could be useful,” Louise said.
H/T: Mirror