Prince Harry and Meghan Markle now have an extra set of hands dedicated to taking care of their newborn son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.
The royal couple hired a British-born, female nanny, ABC News royal contributor Omid Scobie reports.
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The new parents reportedly did not have a nanny or night nurse for the first month of the baby’s life, but with Harry’s busy summer schedule and Markle’s plans to return to royal duties in the fall, they decided to hire a nanny.
Scobie reported in Harper’s Bazaar that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are planning on keeping the personal details of the new staff member private, although she will reportedly not be permanently based at Frogmore Cottage with the couple — or working weekends.
The help will likely be most useful when Harry and Markle set off on their tour of Africa this October. Sources say it’s becoming increasingly likely that little Archie will join his parents for the trip.
While the logistics for the overseas trip are still being ironed out, Prince Harry will reportedly take on a number of engagements by himself if Archie does come along. Stops on the itinerary include Malawi, to focus on the expansion of his charity Sentebale, and Angola, where the government is set to provide $60 million to clear landmines from two national parks.
Official details about the two-week trip won’t be released by Buckingham Palace until July, but engagements in Botswana and South Africa are also expected to be included.
Harry and Markle’s nanny joins a long list of beloved nannies, like Norland College graduate Maria Borrallo, who was hired as a live-in member of staff by Prince William and Kate Middleton in 2014 and can often be spotted helping out during family events, like this year’s Trooping the Colour on June 8.
Meanwhile, Harry remains close to his childhood nanny Tiggy Pettifer. He introduced her to Markle on a trip to Cardiff in January 2018.
“Family life could not be more perfect for [Harry and Meghan],” a close friend of the couple told Harper’s Bazaar. “Ever since Archie arrived they haven’t stopped smiling. The sleepless nights are totally worth it.”
Scobie told Good Morning America last month that Harry and Markle are keeping staff members in general at a minimum at Frogmore Cottage, and are so far relying on just one housekeeper for their 18th-century home in Windsor.
Markle and Harry welcomed Archie on May 6, just a few weeks before celebrating their one-year wedding anniversary. Harry, who will celebrate his first Father’s Day on Sunday, has kept up his pace of royal engagements, like traveling to the Netherlands for an Invictus Games event just a few days after Archie’s birth and traveling to Rome for a charity polo tournament, in addition to his daily engagements in the U.K.
