Royal Watch News

Prince William bids farewell to former nanny

Oct 11, 2012, 11:01 GMT

Prince William

Britain's Prince William bid a final farewell to his beloved former nanny yesterday (10.10.12).

The prince attended the funeral of the late Olga Powell - who died from a heart attack aged 82 - in Harlow, Essex, where he said goodbye to the lady who saw him and his brother Prince Harry as her own 'grandsons'.

Joined by Princess Diana's sisters - Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Baroness Jane Fellowes - at the service, the second-in-line to the throne left his wife, Duchess Catherine, attending official royal duties in North East England alone.

It is said the prince passed on the condolences of Harry - who is currently serving in Afghanistan as an Apache helicopter co-pilot - and it was only last month that Olga wrote to the young prince to pass on her regards and wish him luck for his deployment.

Olga looked after the two princes for Diana and Prince Charles from when William was just six months old and remained at Kensington Palace for 15 years, being regarded as part of the family as she offered the boys comfort and support as they grew up.

In an interview shortly before William and Catherine - known as Kate Middleton at the time - were married, Olga said: 'I have a very normal relationship with them. Their upbringing was very normal and their parents wanted them to have as ordinary a childhood as they could.

'If they saw a muddy puddle they wanted to jump in it and if there was something to climb, they wanted to climb it.'