Nanny To Monaco’s Royal Children

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30945, 29 December 1965, Page 2

Nanny To Monaco’s Royal Children

An English nanny who has looked after the young families of Princess Grace of Monaco, Princess de Marode of Belgium and the French playwright, Jean Anouilh, is children’s hostess aboard the cruise ship Oronsay, which called at Lyttelton yesterday.

Maureen King, of Rugby bubbles with fun, adores children and enjoys seeing the world. But here the likeness to Mary Poppins ends. Miss King has her feet firmly on the ground.

She is the kind of young woman a Royal mother with a full social diary would confidently put in charge of a son and heir and be quite sure the boy got his medicine on time —and liked it.

Miss King’s appointment to the Royal nursery of Monaco was the aftermath of a prank. The position was not advertised. but her sister sent in an application for a job as children’s nurse to Princess Grace and signed it "Maureen KingThen out of the blue one day, came a letter bearing a Royal crest asking her for an interview.

“Happiest Joke”

“It was the happiest joke anyone ever played on me,” Maureen King said, sitting in the sun on Cashin quay yesterday.

“Prnicess Grace was fabulous to work for. She writes to me often and has invited me to go back to the palace for a holiday next summer.”

Treated as one of the family, the young governess met many of the world's leaders who visited Prince Ranier and his wife, including Sir Winston Churchill, President de Gaulle and President de Valera. “Princess Caroline and Prince Albert were sweet children. I was very happy there," she said. Wanted To Travel

When the third child, Princess Stephanie, arrived Miss

King left the household. At 26 she wanted to travel some more and joined the P and O line as a children’s hostess. In this job she may be required to supervise up to 100 children, working ordinary school hours. But as a trained kindergarten teacher she knows how to keep them occupied while their parents are enjoying shipboard life.. When she left the employment of Prince Ranier she signed a contract not to discuss personal details of the Royal family of Monaco. Wide Publicity

“But Prince Ranier knew there would be such a rumpus from the press if I did not say anything about my years at the palace, he gave me permission to write an article about it. He approved it and it has been published around the world,” she said. W T aiting on the wharf for Miss King yesterday was an old friend.

Mrs C. Johnston of Cust, the former Miss Dorothy Williamson of Aberdeen, was children’s nurse to a Greek shipping family in Monte Carlo while Miss King was at the palace. Miss King met Mrs Johnston’s two small children for the first time and was whisked off for a day’s sight-seeing round Christchurch.