Even earlier than she was appointed by the Palace, Alexandra ‘Tiggy’ Legge-Bourke had shut ties to the Royal Household.
Her father had as soon as served within the Royal Horse Guards and her mom grew to become a lady-in-waiting to Princess Anne in 1987.
Her brother, Harry Legge-Bourke, in the meantime, had been Web page of Honour to the late Queen Elizabeth II from 1985 to 1987.
So it was pure that she ought to have been employed by Prince Charles as an assistant and as a nanny to his sons, Princes William and Harry, in 1993.
Tiggy Legge-Bourke, pictured right here in 2005, was nanny to Prince William and Prince Harry of their childhood
King Charles arriving with Prince William, Prince Harry and Tiggy Legge-Bourke at Zurich Airport for a snowboarding vacation
Now often called Alexandra Pettifer, Tiggy is pictured outdoors the Excessive Courtroom, central London, after the BBC agreed to pay her substantial damages over ‘false and malicious’ allegations. These had been made to assist get hold of Martin Bashir’s infamous 1995 Panorama interview with Diana, Princess of Wales
This was shortly after after he and Princess Diana separated – making her function, and the belief vested in her, all of the extra important.
Tiggy, who turns 59 at the moment, was born Alexandra Shân Legge-Bourke on April 1, 1965, to folks William and Dame Elizabeth.
She grew up on the household’s 6,000-acre Glanusk Property in Powys, Wales and was educated at Heathfield Faculty, an all-girls boarding college in Ascot.
Tiggy then went to ending college on the Institut Alpin Videmanette in Rougemont, Switzerland, the place Princess Diana additionally attended. And after graduating, she enrolled in a nursery trainer coaching course on the St Nicholas Montessori Centre.
After finishing her schooling, she taught for a 12 months in Fulham earlier than transferring on to opening her personal nursery college in Battersea referred to as Mrs Tiggywinkle’s.
Then got here the decision from the Palace.
As she grew to spend extra time with the younger royals, her shut bond with William and Harry sparked pressure between the nanny and their mom, Princess Diana.
Diana was reportedly suspicious of how a lot time Legge-Bourke spent with Prince Charles and her sons and disliked her behavior of smoking round them.
In February 1996, Diana wrote to Charles and mentioned Tiggy ought to ‘not spend pointless time within the kids’s rooms… learn to them at evening, nor supervise their bathtime.’
Tiggy – who’s a complicated fly fishing teacher – even as soon as referred to William and Harry as ‘my infants’, which angered the late Princess of Wales.
Tiggy confronted further controversy, as she reportedly mentioned of Diana, ‘She offers [William and Harry] a tennis racket and a bucket of popcorn on the motion pictures,’ whereas ‘I give them what they want at this stage: Contemporary air, a rifle and a horse.’
The matter grew to become worse when a 13-year-old William requested Tiggy to attend Eton’s conventional Fourth of June celebrations, as an alternative of asking eider of his dad and mom.
The nanny was reportedly regarded as William and Harry’s ‘massive sister’ as she ceaselessly joined the household on vacation and took them on out of doors excursions, instructing them to hunt, fish and shoot.
It was reported on the time that the connection between the boys and Tiggy grew to become even nearer following their mom’s dying in August 1997.
She retired from being a royal nanny when she married her childhood sweetheart and safety marketing consultant Charles Pettifer in 1999.
Whereas neither Charles nor Camilla attended, each Princes William and Harry have been current on the occasion.
Tiggy and her now husband had saved in contact after having fun with a teenage romance and he or she even grew to become godmother to Charles’s two sons by his first marriage.
Since, they’ve two sons of their very own, Fred, whose godfather is Prince Harry and Tom the godson of Prince William. Tom, who was eight on the time, even acted as a web page boy at William’s 2011 marriage ceremony to Kate Middleton.
A relentless by the princes’ aspect, Tiggy has remained near each the royals over time, and met Meghan earlier than she and Harry married.
She can be the godmother to Archie, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s eldest little one.
Amongst different occasions, she attended Prince Harry’s commissioning as a Second Lieutenant at Sandhurst in April 2006 and Harry’s marriage ceremony to Meghan Markle in Might 2018.
Since her retirement, she and her husband loved a fairly life in Wales, the place they run their very own farmhouse mattress and breakfast.
Named, Ty’r Chanter Mattress & Breakfast, the home is a ‘stone’s throw’ from Glanusk Park, the 6,000-acre household property the place she grew up
As she grew to spend extra time with the younger royals, Tiggy’s shut bond with William and Harry sparked pressure between the nanny and their mom, Princess Diana
Prince Harry chats to Tiggy at Cirencester Polo Membership in June 1997
Diana was suspicious of how a lot time Legge-Bourke spent with Prince Charles and her sons. She additionally disliked her behavior of smoking round them
Tiggy Legge-Bourke would typically take the boys on out of doors journey. She is pictured strolling with Prince William and Prince Harry within the River Gairn close to the Balmoral Property in October 1994
Tiggy was regarded as a ‘massive sister’ to William and sometimes joined the household on vacation
It was reported on the time that the connection between the boys and Tiggy grew to become even nearer following their mom’s dying in August 1997
Tiggy is pictured arriving with the household at Aberdeen railway station, heading for Balmoral in 1993
She married her childhood sweetheart, safety marketing consultant Charles Pettifer in 1999
Tiggy has remained near each the royals over time and is the godmother to Archie, the Duke of Sussex’s eldest little one
Final 12 months, it was revealed that the BBC is paying damages to the previous nanny over false claims, which had been made about her to assist get hold of the now infamous 1995 Princess Diana interview.
Disgraced journalist Martin Bashir was mentioned to have tricked Diana into believing the nanny had develop into pregnant by Charles by displaying her a faked abortion ‘receipt’.
The broadcaster solely just lately formally apologised as they agreed to pay her substantial damages in response to ‘fabricated’ allegations that she’d had an affair with the Prince of Wales whereas working as Charles’ private assistant in 1995.
‘The BBC has agreed to pay substantial damages to Mrs Pettifer and I want to take this chance to apologise publicly to her, to The Prince of Wales, and to the Dukes of Cambridge and Sussex, for the way in which during which Princess Diana was deceived and the following affect on all their lives,’ BBC Director Normal Tim Davie mentioned in an announcement.
Since her retirement, she and her husband loved a quiet life in Wales, the place they run their very own farmhouse mattress and breakfast. Pictured: Tiggy and Prince Harry in 1995
Prince Harry greets Tiggy Legge-Bourke’s mom, Shan, as he arrives to satisfy military cadets coaching within the Black Mountains in April 2010
Tiggy Pettifer and Prince Harry’s former girlfriend Chelsy Davy attend the Prince’s Military Air Corps pilots course commencement ceremony on the Museum of Military Flying in Might 2010
Tiggy Pettifer and her sonTom Pettifer attended the marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Fort on Might 19, 2018
In the identical 12 months, it was revealed that Tiggy can be knitting socks as a part of an public sale for one of many charities King Charles is patron of.
The previous nanny was set to grant the cosy, handmade gadgets to the very best bidder in an occasion organised by the Edinburgh-based Atlantic Salmon Belief.
The money raised is for use for analysis into the the explanation why the ‘king of fish’ are disappearing from most of the nation’s rivers.
The enchantment, as promoted on the charity’s web site, promised a ‘bespoke pair of his and hers wading socks’ in addition to a beanie hat – and it seems like somebody has already bid £500 for the prize.
Tiggy was understood to be reprising the favored public sale after its ‘runaway success’ the 12 months prior, in keeping with the belief.