Why Princess Diana "Feared" the "Influence" of King Charles's Former Nanny and Believed Her Presence Would "Erode" William and Harry's Childhood

Princess Diana was dedicated to her two sons, Prince Harry and Prince William, throughout her life—and that included deciding which royal nannies were allowed to take care of them. According to one royal expert, Princess Diana "feared" King Charles's former nanny for a very particular reason.

Writing for the Daily Mail, royal expert and correspondent Richard Kay explained, "[O]utside his own family Mabel Anderson is the only woman who has loved King Charles all his life." He continued, "While his mother was preoccupied with affairs of state at home and abroad, it was nanny Mabel who was his first playmate, witnessed his first steps, and helped put his first thoughts into words."

As a result, Charles developed an important "bond" with his nanny, so much so that "he came to regard the young woman, who was almost the same age as The Queen, as a surrogate mother long after he had outgrown the Buckingham Palace nursery," per Kay.

The bond between Charles and his nanny reportedly continued throughout his childhood, and beyond. "She was the one he would miss when he was homesick and lonely at Gordonstoun [boarding school] and in whom he would confide about the bullying he suffered there," the royal expert shared.

According to Kay, "As an adult, [Charles] would fondly kiss Mabel goodnight whenever he was in residence and take breakfast with her in her quarters." And when Anderson retired, King Charles made sure she was taken care of by selecting an apartment on the Royal Family's Windsor estate for her, and paying to have it decorated, the publication explained.

Charles's devotion for Anderson was reportedly so deep that "he once bitterly told Diana that the nanny was the only woman who really understood him," Kay reported.

When Charles married Diana on July 29, 1981, Anderson attended, "although the prince's new wife flatly refused his demand to bring [his nanny] back to look after baby William," the royal expert shared.

As for why the former Princess of Wales was so against employing Anderson to help with William and Harry, Kay explained, "Acutely aware of the influence Mabel had over her husband, Diana feared any influence of her own over the young princes's upbringing would be eroded by employing her."

But when Diana and Charles separated, "Mabel quietly emerged to help with William and Harry, and was taken on by Andrew and Fergie following the birth of Princess Beatrice," the expert noted. Basically, The King finally got his way, but only following his separation from Diana.