The royal nanny to William and Kate gets top honour

The nanny to the children of the Prince and Princess of Wales,
Maria Borrallo, becomes the star of the show at Windsor Castle
today.

Maria Borrallo is set to receive the Royal Victorian Medal
(Silver) at the investiture being held at the castle.

Ms Borrallo is being recognised for her services to the Prince
and Princess of Wales.

She has been nanny to the Wales family since soon after the
arrival of their first child, Prince George, in 2013.

Since then, the family has grown to include Princess Charlotte,
born in 2015, and Prince Louis, who arrived in 2018.

Now, she will be taking centre stage herself at Windsor Castle
as she receives her honour.

The recognition was announced in the New Year’s Honours list at
the end of 2025.

The Royal Victorian Medal (Silver) is part of the Royal
Victorian Order (RVO), which is unlike many other
honours in the British system. It is not granted on the
advice of government ministers nor scrutinised by independent
committees. Instead, it is given entirely at the discretion of the
reigning monarch, making it a direct and personal expression of
royal gratitude.

Established by Queen Victoria in 1896, the order was created to
recognise those who had rendered exceptional personal service to
the sovereign or members of the royal family – often over many
years, and frequently away from public view.

And that’s exactly what Maria Borrallo has been recognised for.
Over the past twelve years, she has operated discreetly in the
background of one of the world’s most scrutinised households,
shepherding royal children through their earliest years with calm
authority and near-total anonymity.

One of the few times she was seen in an almost public role was
at the christening of Princess Charlotte. When the now third in
line to the throne was baptised, in July 2015, Maria was on hand to
support the young family as Kate settled her baby in the vintage
pram outside the Church of St. Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham
estate. Maria Borrallo also looked after Prince George, then two,
as the family got ready to make the walk back to the main house at
Sandringham to celebrate Charlotte’s christening.

Trained at the prestigious Norland College in Bath – the elite
institution whose graduates are famed for their blend of
traditional discipline and modern childcare expertise – Maria
Borrallo was recruited on the recommendation of palace staff and
quickly became indispensable. Her famous appearance at Charlotte’s
christening saw her wear the distinctive uniform of the Norland
nanny – brown dress, bowler hat, white gloves and sensible lace-up
shoes. 

She has also been an indispensable presence on the royal tours
William and Kate have carried out overseas with their children. And
if the Prince and Princess of Wales do end up heading to the US
this summer, it may well be that Maria Borrallo accompanies them if
the do decide to take George, 12, Charlotte, 10 and 7 year old
Louis with them.

However, while this is very formal recognition of Maria
Borrallo’s place in the household of future king and queen, William
and Kate, a far more personal nod was given soon after her
appointment as nanny to the family. When Princess Charlotte was
born, on May 2 2015, she left hospital a few hours later wearing a
cream bonnet, a gift that Maria Borrallo had found from a Spanish
family firm. The gesture, modest and personal, spoke to the close
relationship she had already formed with the family.

Today, that is recognised at an investiture at Windsor Castle
where she will receive a very special honour, ordered by King
Charles himself.