The Spanish “supernanny” who looks after the British royal children

Despite her proverbial discretion, María Teresa Turrión Torrallo has been unable to avoid the public attention that comes with being in charge of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s children.

A native of the Spanish province of Palencia, Turrión was hired four years ago to look after Prince George. Her duties expanded with the birth of Princess Charlotte in 2015. And now, the arrival of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s third child, Louis Arthur Charles, has turned Turrión into the Spanish supernanny of the British royal household.

Turrión’s years-long presence at Kensington Palace reflects the trust that has been placed in this 47-year-old, who trained at Norland College, an elite childcare training school whose graduates have gone on to care for the children of aristocrats and celebrities, including Rolling Stones star Mick Jagger.

The coursework at this exclusive nanny academy includes martial arts training and how to react in the case of a terrorist attack. Turrión was one of the top graduates at Norland and worked for several high-society families in London before being recommended for the job at Kensington Palace.

The first image that the British press captured of the elusive nanny was taken in March 2014, when she was seen pushing Prince George’s pram around the gardens of Kensington Palace. It was the first time that a foreigner had been put in charge of a member of the British royal family.

Turrión also plays an important role in the way the young royals are dressed. She has purchased outfits for them at stores in the Spanish cities of San Sebastián and Valladolid, and from Spanish brands with London branches.

Sources familiar with the situation said that Kate Middleton is concerned that Turrión may want to leave the position, as nannies who work for aristocratic or very wealthy families typically do not last more than five years. But Turrión is described by people who know her as “married to her job.”

English version by Susana Urra.