The household is divided. Long-serving staff are aghast. The butler has threatened to resign. Meanwhile, anonymous “court insiders” are already betting on how long this third nanny will last.
The Duke, 38, a former military aviator known for his icy demeanor and exacting standards, has earned a reputation as a “nanny-eater.” The first left after six months citing “irreconcilable scheduling conflicts” (insiders say she was asked to teach the twins Latin before breakfast). The second famously walked out on Christmas Eve after the Duke critiqued her “insufficiently firm hand” during a tantrum over a melted ice cream. New- duke 3rd strike nanny
The Duke, whose own upbringing was governed by a series of cold, silent governesses, is said to be “both infuriated and fascinated.” A close friend confides: “He’s used to deference. Elara doesn’t give it. She told him in their first meeting that his ‘intermittent, high-volume discipline style’ is the root of the twins’ aggression. No one has ever spoken to him like that.” The household is divided
By Cecilia Hartley, Royal Correspondent
Unlike her predecessors, Miss Vance arrived not in a sensible cardigan, but in a tailored black coat, carrying a leather satchel rather than a diaper bag. She reportedly refused the standard basement-level nanny suite, requesting the former secretary’s office adjacent to the Duke’s study. The Duke, whose own upbringing was governed by
When asked by a junior aide if she felt intimidated by the Duke’s reputation, she allegedly replied: “I’ve talked armed men off ledges. A titled man with a superiority complex and a parenting gap is not a threat. He’s a project.”
Let the games begin. Follow this developing story as we track the daily dispatches from behind the green baize door.
