Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo is Prince William and Princess Kate's nanny for their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, and she's worked with the family since 2014. The Norland trained nanny doesn't live with the family anymore as they don't have any live in staff, but she still spends a lot of time with the royal kids.
Maria is originally from Palencia, north of Madrid, and on Tuesday, a mudslide occurred due to heavy rains which trapped a member of the public. The driver was rescued and unharmed, but this is one of the multiple incidents of falling debris occurring across Spain as Storm Joseph ripped through the country. This is quite unusual for this area of Spain, perhaps making them even less prepared. Spain and nearby Portugal are suffering from the next storm, named Kristin now.
Our Special Projects Editor, Katherine Robinson, lives in Madrid and she's given us an on-the-ground analysis of the weather. "Storm Joseph has been wreaking havoc in Madrid - and across Spain more widely. We’ve had torrential rain, freezing temperatures and countless yellow and orange weather warnings. Parks have been closed due to gale force winds, with officials urging people to stay alert for falling branches and flying debris. And today [Wednesday], the snow we’ve been warned about has finally begun to fall. It’s heartbreaking - and genuinely frightening - to read about the growing number of weather-related accidents, with fresh reports seeming to emerge every day."
It's unknown if Maria has any family back in Palencia, where she grew up. The nanny studied at the prestigious Norland College in Bath before working with the Wales family. Last year, she was recognised in the New Year Honours list with a Royal Victorian Medal (Silver) for her services. Norland nanny's have extensive training to be able to look after high-profile children, and their course includes crisis management and skid-pan driving to keep control of a car under extreme circumstances.
UK storms
As well as adverse weather in Spain from Joseph and Kristin, the UK is currently being battered by Storm Chandra, with weather warnings still in place for various areas.
On Tuesday, King Charles was even forced to close part of his Sandringham Estate following safety concerns. The team announced the decision on Instagram Stories, and the post read: "Notice: Due to high winds, we have made the decision to close the Children's Play Area for the safety of our visitors. We advise you to take extra care when exploring the Estate grounds today." Sadly, it is happening more and more frequently as global warming brings with it extreme weather conditions.
As of Wednesday morning, severe flood warnings are still in place across the country according to the Met Office and rescues have had to happen when flash flooding as taken place.
The area of Lower Stour at Iford Bridge Home Park in Bournemouth has been categorised as severe, with a "danger to life" warning in place. The website gives firm advice to residents. It reads: "River levels are rising and require residents to evacuate as quickly as possible. Staff from BCP and emergency services are on-site to assist you. Pack a bag with essential items, such as medications you may need. Prepare to be away from your home overnight. Forecast levels will impact power to the site, which will need to be turned off ahead of flooding. Move family, pets and cars to safety and turn off gas, electricity and water if it is safe to do so."