Prince Harry’s nanny formed a striking first impression of the young royal when he was born, according to a former royal courtier.
In an interview with former Vanity Fair editor Tina Brown in 2023, Lady Anne Glenconner, who served as a lady-in-waiting to Princess Margaret for over three decades, revealed that a royal nanny told her she believed Harry was “born angry.”
Glenconner was close friends with Barbara Barnes, who had worked looking after her own children for 12 years before she left to join the royal household of the then-Prince and Princess of Wales (Prince Charles and Princess Diana).
In recently published video footage from an interview with Brown promoting a second edition of her memoirs, Whatever Next? Lessons from an Unexpected Life, Glenconner was asked about Barnes’ impression of Harry considering she worked for Charles and Diana from William’s birth in 1982 to 1987, when he and Harry were three and one years old respectively.
“Barbara adored Prince William,” she told the magazine editor. “Harry, I think, was a bit more difficult when he was small.”
Glenconner remains close with members of the royal family and in 2023 she was a guest at the coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla in London.
In the same year, Glenconner told Newsweek that she had not read Prince Harry’s memoir, Spare, stating that though he was a second-born royal much like her friend Princess Margaret, the princess wouldn’t have published a book like his.
“I haven’t read Prince Harry’s book and I’m not going to read it. I think it would upset me; it’s all too sad,” she said. “Princess Margaret would never have written a book like that. She was loyal.”
Barbara Barnes maintained a low profile during her years as a royal nanny and thereafter.
An insight into her working life with William, Harry, Charles and Diana was provided by royal biographer Robert Lacey in his 2020 book Battle of Brothers.
“I treat all my children as individuals,” he quotes her as having told the press in a rare on the record comment. “I’m here to help the princess, not take over.”
Royal nanny Barbara Barnes photographed with Prince William (L) in New Zealand, April 17, 1983. And Lady Anne Glenconner (R) photographed in London, June 4, 2013. Barnes worked for Glenconner before joining the royal household… ANWAR HUSSEIN/GETTY IMAGES/MAX MUMBY/INDIGO/GETTY IMAGESLacey credits Barnes with having “picked up and strengthened the family ethos of brotherliness,” between William and Harry but also noted that her closeness to her two charges could have contributed to a breakdown in her relationship with Princess Diana.
Barnes left royal service in January 1986 and afterward maintained her relationship with Glenconner, rejoining her family for a brief period to assist in the recovery of her teenage son, Christopher, who had entered a coma after a motorcycle accident while traveling abroad.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek‘s royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek‘s The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III and Queen Camilla, William and Princess Kate, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you.
News
Exclusive: Dame Kelly Holmes shares health update after dealing with ‘crippling pain’
Dame Kelly Holmes shares health update after dealing with ‘crippling pain’ Athlete Dame Kelly Holmes has opened up about the crippling pain she experienced before…
Eamonn Holmes shows just how serious he is about new girlfriend with bold move
Eamonn Holmes has been showing off his romance with girlfriend Katie Alexander as their pair enjoy a lavish weekend away at a friend’s wedding beaming for pictures…
This Morning’s Ben Shephard left blushing after Coleen Nolan strips naked live on air
Loose Women star Coleen Nolan wasn’t afraid to bare all as she took to the ITV daytime favourite wearing nothing but her birthday suit on the much…
Inside Strictly’s Craig Revel-Horwood’s age-gap relationship with fiancé Jonathan Myring
Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel-Horwood is a fan favourite on the BBC show – but away from the dancefloor, he shares his life with his fiance,…
Exclusive: Daniel O’Donnell superfan reveals why the Irish crooner is their ‘happy place’
These Daniel O’Donnell superfans collect teapots and pillowcases with his face emblazoned on them – and have travelled as far as the Bahamas for a meet and…
Exclusive: ‘I don’t fear pro-Palestine TV blacklist, I need to speak out for my dad,’ says Nadia Sawalha
Nadia Sawalha has been a vocal critic of the Israeli government’s actions in Palestine over the last 12 months and impressed her Jordanian-born father thanks to her…
End of content
No more pages to load