The Truth About Prince William And Prince Harry's Nanny

The royal family is one of the most intriguing institutions in the world. The interest surrounding them is such that tabloids and those thirsty for gossip gobble up any bit of information they can about the inner-workings of the family and those close to them.

One such figure close to the royal family at the height of Prince Charles and Princess Diana's separation was Tiggy Legge-Bourke, the nanny Charles hired to assist with William and Harry's care. Though technically the royal family's hired staff, Tiggy Legge-Bourke actually came from an aristocratic background not unlike Princess Diana's and was immediately welcomed by Charles' friends, per Christopher Andersen's 2011 book William and Kate: A Royal Love Story (page 43).

Though Legge-Bourke seemed to slip into Charles' and the boys' lives seamlessly, Princess Diana saw her as a threat and enemy. Despite her tense relationship with Diana, Legge-Bourke left a lasting impression on William and Harry and remained close to them throughout their lives. Per Tatler, William and Harry are both godfathers to her children.

Tiggy Legge-Bourke became William and Harry's nanny in 1993, according to Tatler; Charles and Diana separated in 1992 (via History). Charles' decision to hire Legge-Bourke irritated Diana. She reportedly lamented, "Why does Charles need a substitute mother when [William and Harry] are with him?" (via Christopher Andersen's Game of Crowns: Elizabeth, Camilla, Kate, and the Throne, page 134).

Through Legge-Bourke's time as William and Harry's nanny, Diana became convinced she was the real woman Charles was having an affair with — not Camilla Parker-Bowles (via Game of Crowns, page 135). While this idea stayed with Diana, there was another reason she was no fan of Legge-Bourke: her relationship with William and Harry. According to Andersen, Legge-Bourke got on swimmingly with William and Harry, acting as a "surrogate mom." She often took them on trips to amusement parks, movie theaters, zoos, and fairs (Game of Crowns, page 134). The final straw, though, was when Legge-Bourke referred to William and Harry as her "babies" to the press (Game of Crowns, page 138). From that point on, Diana was determined to separate Legge-Bourke from her children.

In his biography of William and Kate (page 55), Anderson reveals Charles and Diana became amicable following their divorce, leaving him inclined to take her side when Legge-Bourke snubbed Diana's family during preparations for William's confirmation in March of 1997. When Diana complained to Charles of the slight, just one month later, Legge-Bourke was no longer the princes' nanny.