Woman Who Employed "Shy" $5-An-Hour Nanny for Her Child Only Realized Later That It Was Princess Diana | "She Was Wonderful"

This lady from an aristocratic family enjoyed being a humble nanny and nursery school teacher before becoming the princess of the people.

Source: Getty Images | Photo by (L) Stuart Clarke / Stringer, (R) John Minihan

By Asmita S

July 28, 2020

Posted July 28, 2020

When we think of the British royal family, minor or those in line for the throne, a job that pays $5 an hour doesn't come to mind. However, there was one princess who did not see it beneath her to have a humble beginning. That royal woman came to be known as the princess of the people and won thousands of hearts until her time was cut short on Earth unexpectedly. It was Princess Diana.

Lady Diana Spencer was an aristocrat but a humble one. She genuinely liked being with children so being a nanny to a five-year-old boy wasn't anything unusual to her. Neither was being a primary school teacher. Both jobs, she tried her hand at before marrying Prince Charles.

In 1980, an American businesswoman, Mary Robertson, living in London needed a nanny for her toddler, Patrick. She contacted the local agency and they said that 18-year-old Diana was available. Diana went to Mary's home for the interview and was hired that day. The American woman had no idea that the shy nanny she hired was Lady Diana, belonging to one of the oldest families of England, according to MSN.

Robertson was quoted as saying by Inside Edition that said she “fell in love with her." Diana was hired for $5 an hour to mind Patrick as well as do laundry, pick up toys, and wash dishes. "She was wonderful with my child," she said.

She only found out about her complete identity when she saw a deposit slip from Diana's bank. She found the slip under her couch and said Lady Diana Spencer. "It was deposited to Coutts and Company, and because I worked in finance I knew that Coutts was the bank of the aristocracy and the Royal family," she said. When Mary asked Diana about it, her reaction was nonchalant.

"She said 'Oh that. Would you like me to take Patrick out for a walk now?' And that was the beginning and the end of it," she said, according to Elite Readers. The royal teen worked there thrice a week and as a nursery school teacher the rest of the week.

The princess reportedly referred to the time working as a primary teacher and nanny as the "happiest year" of her life.

The mother of the toddler was shocked again, a few months later, when she found out that Diana was dating Prince Charles, the future King of England.

"She said, 'When you leave for work this morning, there are reporters and photographers at the end of the street.' I asked, 'Who are they there for?' She said, 'They are there for me,'" Robertson recalled.

Soon, after the news about Diana and Charles broke, the royal teen gave her notice to Mary. However, that was not the end of their friendship. Though, the next time she saw her was when she was walking down the aisle, they corresponded with each other for 16 years. Diana sent many cards and letters to Mary over the years.

"She asked for us to come and visit and I didn't read the calls to visit as little cries for help," she said, according to Inside Edition.

In 1997, Mary was one of the mourners at Diana's funeral at London's Westminster Abbey. Diana's death broke many hearts, including Mary's, with whom a unique friendship had blossomed. Mary reminded Diana of a simpler time when she was only a young woman with many doors open to her.