Since Prince Harry stepped down as a working Royal in 2020, he and his wife, Meghan Markle have been very vocal about the reasons why they left the Royal Family. So far, King Charles, Prince William and other members of The Firm have kept quiet about the claims made against them.
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Given the interest in the monarchy and their complicated family dynamics, royal experts, like Tom Quinn, former staffers, and friends of royals have known to add fuel to the fire with their own opinions and anecdotes.
One of the Duke of Sussex’s old nannies allegedly made a very curt description of the Duke when he was younger. The claims have been made by Lady Anne Glenconner, Princess Margaret’s friend, who was reportedly close with one of Harry’s nannies.
Lady Anne Glenconner revealed what Prince Harry’s nanny thought
As reported by Newsweek, Lady Anne Glenconner, who was Princess Margaret’s - Queen Elizabeth’s sister - lady-in-waiting for over three decades. During that time, Lady Glenconner was close with Barbara Barnes, who was Prince Harry’s nanny.
The two women became friends when Barbara was working for Lady Glenconner and was her children’s nanny for 12 years, before assisting then-Prince Charles and Princess Diana, who's will was changed after her death. Barbara was Prince William and Prince Harry’s nanny from William’s birth in 1982 to 1987.
In 2023 Lady Glenconner sat for an interview with Tina Brown for Vanity Fair, and during the interview, Princess Margaret’s lady-in-waiting revealed that Barbara Barnes had believed Prince Harry was ‘born angry’.
In the interview, which was to promote a second edition of her memoirs, Whatever Next? Lessons from an Unexpected Life, Lady Glenconner was asked about Barbara’s first impression of baby Prince Harry.
Barbara adored Prince William. Harry, I think, was a bit more difficult when he was small.
Brown encouraged Lady Glenconner to reveal what Barnes had said about the Duke of Sussex, to which she replied:
That he was born angry.
Prince William and Prince Harry’s former nanny has always kept a low profile, both while working for the family and after. The same cannot be said for Laddy Anne Glenconner.
Who is Lady Anne Glenconner?
As mentioned above, Lady Anne Glenconner was Princess Margaret’s lady-in-waiting for over three decades - much like Lady Danbury for Queen Charlotte in Netflix’s Bridgerton. This meant that she was rather close with the Royal Family.
As per Tatler, Lady Glenconner started making a name for herself in 2019 when she published her first memoir, Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown. In her memoir, she reveals the privilege she had as a close friend and lady-in-waiting to Princess Margaret. She held the position from 1971 to Princess Margaret’s death in 2002.
Lady Glenconner’s family is no stranger to the Royal Family, indeed, Lady Anne explains in her book that her mother was lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth and her father was equerry to the King.
She then adds that her great-great-uncle was lord-in-waiting to Queen Mary and her uncle was in the Queen Mother’s household, while her aunt was lady-in-waiting to the Queen Mother.
As per Tatler, she wrote:
My mother was [lady-in-waiting] to the Queen, my father was equerry to the King, my great-great-uncle was lord-in-waiting to Queen Mary, my uncle was in the Queen Mother’s household and my aunt was lady-in-waiting to the Queen Mother. That’s what we are.
Lady Glenconner’s latest memoirWhatever Next? Lessons From An Unexpected Life has sold over 500,000 copies.
Read more:
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Prince Harry: Everything we know about the royal's 'second family' and support system
Sources used:
Tatler: ‘Princess Margaret’s confidante, Lady Anne Glenconner, has made a fortune in literary sales’
YouTube: ‘Lady Anne Glenconner in Conversation with Tina Brown: Whatever Next? Lessons from an Unexpected Life’
Newsweek: ‘Prince Harry's Nanny Had A Very Revealing Description of Him’
