Charlotte Bill

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Charlotte Bill with Prince John

Charlotte Jane "Lala" Bill (9 December 1875 – 13 December 1964) was an English nanny to the children of the Duke and Duchess of York, later King George V and Queen Mary. She was most closely involved with the couple's youngest child, Prince John, whom she nursed devotedly from 1905 until his death in 1919.[1]

Employment

Bill began her employment as the under-nurse to the York children. Working under the head nurse, she was shocked at the nurse's treatment of the royal children. The nurse appeared to resent every new addition to the nursery and neglected the second son, Bertie, later George VI, to the point that he became ill.[2] The head nurse had originally been a nursemaid to the Duke and Duchess of Newcastle and had received a good reference from them. After Bill expressed her concerns about the head nurse, she was dismissed in 1897, and Bill was appointed in her place.[2]

As the children grew up, she became especially close to the youngest child, John, who had

King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, John's grandparents.[1]

Life after Johnnie

She remained devoted to the memory of the young prince right up to her death on 13 December 1964, at the age of 89. She died in a hospital in Maidenhead, Berkshire, England. On one visit to her house, John's brother, the Duke of Windsor noticed that the first object he saw when he walked into Bill's house was a large photo of Johnnie as a toddler on her fireplace mantel.

Legacy

Her character appears in the film The Lost Prince, where she is played by Gina McKee.[3][4]

A novel called The Royal Nanny by Karen Harper recounts the story of Bill and her time with the royal children.

Notes

  1. ^ a b Van Der Kiste, p. 44
  2. ^ a b Van Der Kiste, p. 11
  3. ^
    doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/76928. Retrieved 2008-02-03. (Subscription or UK public library membership
    required.)
  4. user-generated source
    ]

Sources