Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo honoured with the Royal Victorian Medal (Silver) for caring for the Wales children

Behind palace gates, away from balcony photo calls and coronation crowds, one person has been steadily shaping royal childhoods.

For years, Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo has occupied a careful middle ground between everyday family life and constitutional future, helping to steer three young royals while remaining largely unseen by the public.

The quiet force behind the Wales children

For over ten years, the Prince and Princess of Wales have had one unusually steady presence in their home: the Spanish-born nanny who joined the household soon after Prince George’s birth in 2014. While public attention lingered on hospital steps, christenings and balcony appearances, she dealt with night feeds, school runs and the small upsets that never reach the news.

Outside royal-watching circles, her name was seldom mentioned. Inside the palaces, however, Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo became central to the children’s day-to-day routine, travelling with the family from Kensington Palace to Anmer Hall in Norfolk, and later to Adelaide Cottage near Windsor.

"Her reward, the Royal Victorian Medal (Silver), signals not just gratitude for hard work, but a personal nod from the monarch himself."

That honour puts her among a relatively small group of staff whose service is considered so personal that the King thanks them directly, without any government involvement or public campaigning.

What the Royal Victorian Medal really means

The Royal Victorian Medal sits within the Royal Victorian Order, established by Queen Victoria in 1896 to recognise people who assist the monarch or the royal family in a direct, personal capacity. Unlike knighthoods or MBEs-which pass through departments, committees and official recommendation systems-this award is granted solely at the sovereign’s discretion.

Within the royal household, that distinction carries weight. The choice avoids politics altogether: there are no civil service processes, no public nominations and no lobbying-only the King’s private judgement about who has quietly helped keep the institution functioning.

"The medal is less about public prestige and more about loyalty, discretion and years of steady, sometimes invisible, work."

Recipients typically have several things in common:

• Close, long-term contact with the royal family
• Positions requiring absolute confidentiality
• Work that seldom features in official court circulars
• A role that shapes the personal-not the political-side of royal life

In childcare, the symbolism can feel even sharper. Looking after royal children sits where family life meets constitutional continuity: the children cared for today may influence the monarchy tomorrow.

From Norland College to Kensington Palace

Before arriving at Kensington Palace, Ms Turrion Borrallo completed one of the UK’s most rigorous childcare training routes. She studied at Norland College in Bath, an institution long linked with wealthy families and, increasingly, royal households.

Norland nannies are taught early years theory alongside practical competencies, spanning infant care and nutrition as well as security awareness and digital safety. The college’s recognisable Edwardian-style uniform-brown dress, bowler hat, white gloves and sensible shoes-signals a tradition reaching back to the 19th century.

Aspect	Typical Norland nanny training
Child development	Understanding emotional, social and cognitive milestones from birth to early teens
Practical care	Feeding, sleep routines, hygiene, age-appropriate play and early learning support
Discipline	Firm boundaries, consistent rules and calm behaviour management
Security	Awareness of public settings, media presence and potential safety risks

When she joined the Wales household, that preparation met one of the most high-pressure childcare settings imaginable: three children-including a future king-growing up as their parents balanced family life with official duties and intense global scrutiny.

A rare glimpse into royal childcare

Most royal nannies work almost entirely out of view. Ms Turrion Borrallo has largely done the same, though there have been occasional moments that drew attention. One was Princess Charlotte’s christening in 2015, when cameras captured the full Norland uniform.

For a brief moment, the familiar brown dress, bowler hat and white gloves lifted the curtain on an arrangement that usually runs quietly in the background. The image hinted at continuity with earlier eras, even as the job itself has adapted to modern thinking around parenting, mental health and children’s independence.

"The job now mixes old-fashioned discipline with a growing focus on emotional resilience, digital habits and life in a 24/7 media climate."

Another detail that resonated with royal-watchers was far smaller: the bonnet worn by newborn Princess Charlotte outside the Lindo Wing. The cream piece came from a Spanish family business and was sourced by the nanny herself-an intimate sign of familiarity and trust within the household.

Life with three young royals

Since 2014, Ms Turrion Borrallo has remained with the Wales family through major changes: moves between royal residences, new schools, shifting titles and evolving public expectations. Across those transitions, her duties have stayed broadly the same-providing routine, emotional steadiness and structure.

People who have followed the family on overseas tours often notice her presence just beyond the main frame. While William and Catherine focus on walkabouts, speeches and receptions, she oversees naps, snacks, outfit changes and travel-weary tempers in hotel corridors and airport lounges.

In private, she supports the closest possible version of everyday rhythm: school drop-offs, homework, after-school activities and family meals, even when diaries collide with state visits and high-profile engagements.

Why this award matters for the royal family’s image

Choosing to recognise a nanny-and doing so publicly-aligns with the Waleses’ longstanding emphasis on family and early childhood. Catherine has repeatedly placed early years development at the centre of her public work, arguing that the first five years influence mental health, relationships and resilience long into adult life.

By drawing attention to a childcare professional’s contribution, the royal household also sends a quiet message: bringing up future kings and queens relies on a wider circle of adults, not only the parents whose photographs fill magazine covers.

"The medal validates care work as serious, long-term service to the Crown, not just domestic help in the shadows."

It also points to a subtle change in how the royal household handles visibility. While the palace continues to protect the children’s privacy, there is an increased willingness to acknowledge the people who help create the impression of a secure, grounded family home.

Continuity as George enters his teens

The timing adds another layer. Prince George is now approaching his teenage years, and Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis are also taking on more prominent roles at major occasions. They are seen at Trooping the Colour, Christmas carol services and, at times, overseas trips.

Against that backdrop, the King’s decision can be understood as recognition of the continuity underpinning their upbringing to this point. As the children become more publicly visible, the person who managed their earliest-and least public-years receives formal thanks.

For the Waleses, who often stress their desire to give their children as “normal” an upbringing as circumstances allow, a long-serving nanny provides exactly what they describe: stability, familiar routines and an adult presence who has guided the children through every stage from infancy to the pre-teen years.

The changing role of royal nannies

Compared with earlier generations, royal nannies now work in a more complex landscape. Social media magnifies every appearance, and high-resolution images can spread worldwide within minutes. Parenting decisions-ranging from school choices to clothing-can trigger immediate debate.

As a result, modern nannies manage far more than feeding timetables and bedtime stories. Their responsibilities can include:

• Helping children navigate cameras, crowds and constant attention
• Setting boundaries around selfies and strangers holding phones
• Coordinating with security teams on travel and public engagements
• Working with schools that must handle press interest
• Supporting parents balancing emotional pressures with formal duties

For a family next in line to the throne, the role sits somewhere between childcare, logistics and discreet emotional support. That combination helps explain why the King selected a personal honour designed for sustained, close-quarters service rather than public-facing achievement.

Why this story resonates beyond palace walls

At first glance, a single medal for a single nanny could seem like a minor court note. Yet it connects with broader conversations in Britain and beyond: who carries the unseen load of raising children, how that labour is valued, and who is publicly thanked.

Across the UK, families depend on grandparents, childminders, nursery teams and nannies to keep households and careers running. Their names rarely appear in official honours lists. A royal acknowledgement-however specific its context-pushes that reality into view.

It also underlines how institutional stability often rests on people who never take a microphone. In the monarchy, photographers capture crowns, uniforms and state coaches; the system’s day-to-day viability also relies on those who can soothe a toddler on a long-haul flight or help an anxious eight-year-old settle into a new classroom.

For anyone working in childcare, it offers a quiet illustration of how expertise, emotional intelligence and long-term commitment can shape the lives of children who may one day make decisions on a national stage.