Norland nannies don't float in on umbrellas, but the modern-day Mary Poppinses are magical in their own right. Having undergone substantial training, nannies like Prince William and Princess Catherine's employee, Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo, are well-prepared for the demands of the role, and don't need a magic carpet bag to do the job... just Norland College.
Graduates from the prestigious university in Bath have gone on to work for prominent families, including the royal household, from Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis' nanny Maria to Tiggy Legge-Bourke, former nanny to King Charles' sons, Prince William and Prince Harry.
"High-profile families recognize the high-level of training our students have. It's three years, it's practical, it's theoretical," Elspeth Pitman, Norland Nanny and Head of Graduates: Placements, Employment and Alumni, exclusively tells HELLO!. "They can support with the psychology elements; they could support with the care of the child. We teach them about working with the whole family, with other professionals. So their training really is quite extensive. So high-profile families would hopefully choose us for that reputation."
She adds: "The parents probably have particular roles in the public eye, and all of those things, they'll just need to know that they're leaving their children with somebody who's going to provide the very best care and who's going to be able to work in their household, in their home, in their family and manage it and work well alongside the parents and other staff."
Dr. Rebecca Digby, Vice Principal and Head of Learning, Teaching and Research at Norland College, echoed Elspeth, also telling HELLO! that Norland nannies' "high level of attention to detail," in addition to the "depth and breadth in their understanding over that study" is very attractive to high-profile families "because it's a hallmark of quality that you know that somebody has got the experience and expertise because they've worked very hard to gain it over those years of study that they've done" at Norland College.
All students complete a three-year bachelor's degree in early childhood education and care. "We really emphasize both the theory and understanding and knowledge that you need to know about young children, but also what it means to be a professional, working and living in the context of a family home. That's where all the underpinning theory happens.
"And we do a multidisciplinary perspective on these key themes. So we might look at young children's health from an education perspective, a psychological perspective, sociological and philosophical. So students really do get this strong theoretical underpinning to what they're doing throughout the three years," Dr. Digby says.
Cyber security, defensive driving and on-the-job training
Alongside their BA degree, students also earn their Norland Diploma, which Dr. Digby explains "really emphasizes the skills, the practical skills, that students will need when they're working with families in home-based education and care settings".
Over a third of their time at Norland College will be spent in early childhood settings: schools, hospitals, paediatric and maternity wards, and students have the opportunity to work in many different family homes.
Before entering their newly qualified nanny year, students undertake two months of "added value courses." In these sessions, Elspeth reveals that they cover "things like security, cyber security," as well as "self-defense, so that they know how to support children" and are prepared for any situation. "We do self-defense, we do defensive driving, skip hand driving and we do some additional work around working with families, communication and all of this runs throughout the three years they're with us," she says.
However, these courses aren't reserved for just nannies planning to work with high-profile families. Elspeth notes that the courses "add value for any family". She says: "We very much believe that all children and families are important, and, of course, there's some additional skills nannies will need for working with high-profile families, but all of our nannies should be prepared for that. Of course, it comes with experience and skills."
A vocation, a passion
While Elspeth points out that Norland College can impart knowledge to its students, they can't teach character. She asserts: "They need to come wanting to be a Norland Nanny. It's a vocation. It's a passion. And without that, they probably wouldn't want to continue with the training. So they come with that and then take that into their professionals."
The key skills for a nanny, according to Elspeth, come from experience, as well as being flexible and pretty unflappable. Although high-profile positions may require additional skills, all nannies should be prepared and confident. "Usually they'll go into the roles like that once they've had a bit of experience in nannying because very quickly you pick up just being prepared for every situation, for example if you have to last-minute fly off around the world, if you can bundle the children up and you're ready and prepared," Elspeth says. "And so I would say those are the key skills that they need, and they need those regardless of what families they work for them."
Maria in the royal spotlight
Maria, one of the college's most famous alumni, has been working for the Wales family since 2014, when Prince George was less than a year old. After more than a decade of service, the royal nanny was recognized in the King's New Year Honours list for 2026, for her service to the Prince and Princess of Wales.
Over the years, Maria has been seen with the Wales family on trips and events like Pippa Middleton's nuptials, Princess Charlotte's christening and the Sussexes' royal wedding. On some occasions, she's been seen sporting the recognizable Norland uniform, which Dr. Digby remarks gives the job some status. She says: "Early childhood can have a low status and reputation and that uniform sort of elevates students, so there's something very strong about professional identity for our students."
That said, the uniform isn't always worn. Elspeth explains that generally, once nannies are qualified, "they don't always wear their uniform in the household, mainly because you also don't always for security reasons want to be identified as the nanny".
Modern-day Mary Poppins
With her uniform, Maria has drawn comparisons to the iconic British nanny, Mary Poppins. "I think that we do place high-level of emphasis on the qualities of trustworthiness, caring, loving, professional, resilient, being able to handle challenge, and know what strategies you have to be able to bounce back from challenge and carry on. So these qualities that are really foregrounded in the Mary Poppins image, that sort of iconic image of what the perfect nanny should be, I think you can see elements of that reflected in terms of the qualities that we expect our students to emulate when putting children and families at the center of what they do," Dr. Digby says.
For Elspeth, it's important to think about the role of Mary Poppins as someone who enters the family home and nurtures and cares for the entire family. To her, it's not just about the children and caring or educating them.
"It's someone who comes in and actually has real impact on those children. You're fostering the next generation of children," Elspeth says. "If you talk to any of our clients, a nanny can often be the person who really supports that family through everyday life. Without the nanny, sometimes some families, depending on what their situation is, they would just find it really challenging to get through every day, the hustle and bustle of busy family life.
"So I really like that idea, when we think about Mary Poppins and the magical Disney version, I really like that idea of coming in and being that little bit of extra sparkle in the family home."