Lorren Khumalo, the nanny hired by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to care for their son Archie in the months after his birth, has spoken openly about her first encounter with the royal couple. Khumalo, a paediatric nurse and consultant, was employed while the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were living at Frogmore Cottage, before they stepped back from royal duties and moved to the United States.
Informal welcome at Frogmore
Speaking on an episode of The Breakfast Club with Zenzele Ndebele in 2023, Khumalo recalled carefully selecting an outfit for the interview. She said: "I thought to myself, 'I wonder how their nannies look, do they wear heels?' Prince William has got a Norland Nanny, so they've got a brown uniform that for my skin colour and the way it looks in khaki brown, I knew it wouldn't even go, it would just not work."
She added: "So I [thought] I'll wear something dark and nice kitten heels but I'll look presentable for a royal so I need to do my best. But I didn't use any make-up, I said if they take me, they take me as I am. I wasn't born with a silver spoon, I'm not blue blood, I will go as I am and trust me with my God, I'll get this job."
Khumalo confessed she received a speeding ticket for driving "too fast" while rushing to Frogmore. She said: "So I got there and there's lots of checks that they do but when I got there I expected to see a princely somebody, in those very expensive German, Swiss suits or something. He was in his jeans, in a T-shirt, walking barefoot because it was hot."
First impressions of the couple
She continued: "And I kept asking his PPO, so his protection officer, 'Do I curtsy, do I have to?' And he just looked at me and laughed and he said, 'You'll see, Prince Harry is amazing'. When I got there, the way he opened his arms 'Hello Lorren!' and gave me a hug. [I thought] 'Wow, what a gentleman, what a gem', oh my goodness, I couldn't believe it."
Khumalo added: "And when I walked in and saw Meghan I thought 'My God, what a beautiful woman'. I just felt so comfortable, it wasn't so formal as I expected it to be, it was just a normal home."
Previous public comments
This was not the first time Khumalo had spoken publicly about her experience working for Harry and Meghan. She appeared in their 2022 Netflix documentary series, where she outlined a typical day with the couple. She revealed: "They were really hands-on parents, in the morning when he (Archie) woke up, first thing, mum and dad would come in, they would be with their baby, she would feed him, and then after that I'll take over and normally we would go for a morning walk."
Meghan praised Khumalo, saying: "She (Lorren) said 'Is it OK if I like tie him on my back with a mud cloth like we do in Zimbabwe?' (I said) 'yes let's do that!' She just took care of Archie and she took care of us, she definitely took care of me."
