Prince William and Princess Kate may have hired a Norland nanny with a six-figure salary to look after their three children, but Prince Harry, 39, and Meghan Markle, 42, prefer a more traditional approach.
Sources reveal that the Sussexes have opted to keep childcare within the family, with Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, taking on the role of the children’s nanny. The source says that the decision for Doria to step up followed a series of unsuccessful partnerships with professional nannies in the past few years.
“Harry and Meghan have used a number of nannies in the past, but now that Doria has moved in with the family, she has stepped up to help look after the children,” the source said.
“There is sometimes additional help, but Doria is working closely with Meghan to ensure that the children are brought up in a close-knit and loving family environment.”
Initially, the Sussexes had hired Lorren Khumalo, a paediatric nurse and consultant, to care for Prince Archie shortly after his birth. At the time, the family was living at Frogmore Cottage before announcing their decision to step down from their roles as working royals and relocate to the United States.
In an interview last year, Lorren recounted her first visit to Frogmore Cottage to meet Harry and Meghan, noting that despite getting a speeding ticket on her way there, she was comforted by Harry’s informal and welcoming demeanour, describing the house as very “normal” and Harry as “barefoot.”
It was also reported that Meghan and Harry were forced to dismiss a night nanny after an unsettling nighttime incident with Archie, which made them wary of subsequent hires. This incident, detailed in Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand’s biography “Finding Freedom,” described how the couple had to let the nurse go on her second night for being “unprofessional and irresponsible.”
The experience reportedly left the Duke and Duchess of Sussex nervous about their next nanny, despite her competent performance. Consequently, they decided to handle night duties themselves while employing a day nanny who worked weekdays.
When living in the UK, Harry and Meghan preferred not to have their home filled with staff, opting instead for a nanny who did not live at Frogmore Cottage. They valued their home being “cosy and private,” enjoying nights with just the family and, according to the source, this is the approach that the couple now takes with both Prince Archie, five, and Princess Lilibet, two.
“Meghan feels much more comfortable with the children under her mother’s watchful eye and Harry was very keen to keep it [childcare] in the family,” the source said. “Both Harry and Meghan are extremely protective of their children and only stop worrying about them if Doria is in charge whenever they are away.
“Doria was instrumental in looking after Archie and Lilibet when they [Harry and Meghan] were in Nigeria and she treats them like they are her own.”
Earlier this year, Express.co.uk revealed that Doria stepped up to help her daughter and son-in-law by moving to Montecito.
Meghan’s 67-year-old yoga teacher mum took up residence in the Sussexes’ guesthouse on the grounds of their Californian mansion to help the couple out and to avoid a lengthy car journey from her home in View Park-Windsor Hills in Los Angeles.
“Doria spends nearly all of her time with Harry and Meghan. It’s basically a family of five,” the source said. “She [Doria] is amazingly close to the children and helps Meghan daily. She also steps in as a nanny whenever they travel abroad without the children.
“Meghan thought it very important that the children be brought up by family rather than an outsider so they feel safe and secure at all times.”
The move makes a stark contrast to the way the Prince and Princess of Wales bring up their children. Prince William, 41 and Kate, 42, rely heavily on Spanish nanny Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo from the prestigious Norland Agency. Maria joined the family in 2014 when Prince George was just eight months old.
Today, Maria still works for William and Kate, helping them take care of their three children Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, nine, and Prince Louis, six, and is said to be an important support for Kate while she recovers from cancer at home.
“The Wales family have taken a very different approach,” the source said. “But it must be noted that before Kate’s illness, the Wales family worked extremely hard. The children also live at home with their parents.”
The Sussexes have been approached for comment.
