The Royal nanny who swapped palaces for her own business
This year marks six months since the launch of Nanny & Governess, a specialist agency placing exceptional staff in high-profile and royal households across the globe. Behind it is an extraordinary woman with a remarkable journey: Alice Romero Drever, a former royal nanny who turned her passion for childcare into a thriving international business.
Born in Guildford, Surrey, in 1986, Alice moved to Argentina at the age of six—a dramatic shift in culture that took some adjusting. She learned Spanish fluently and, by her early twenties, began teaching English in Buenos Aires to professionals at major corporations such as Coca-Cola, Accenture, and Standard & Poor’s.
In 2016, Alice returned to the UK, taking a role in a school for children with behavioural needs. It was challenging work, but a chance opportunity to cover a friend’s afterschool nanny job in Kensington changed her life. The role was calm, joyful, and fulfilling—especially compared to the daily stress of the classroom. The child attended a prestigious Notting Hill school, with more than a few celebrity parents at the school gates. Alice was hooked.
While browsing jobs on Gumtree, she stumbled upon a summer nanny position aboard a royal family’s private yacht. It sounded like a movie plot, but she applied—and got it. Soon, she was flown to Greece, caring for children while sailing between islands aboard a megayacht. It was, she says, “life-changing.”
That experience opened the door to more prestigious roles, including a position with a royal family in Saudi Arabia. Though professionally enriching, she found adapting to the cultural restrictions difficult—particularly the limitations on movement and dress, including wearing an abaya and requiring a chaperone for outings.
Alice returned to the UK and continued her career as a nanny and governess, always hoping for another magical role like the first. In 2024, she was offered a new royal position in the UAE, but this time, she turned it down. Long hours and time away from family no longer suited her priorities.
Instead, she channelled her experience into building something new: a boutique agency that helps other nannies find extraordinary roles—just like the one that changed her life.
Based in London, the agency now works with clients across the UK, Europe, and the United States, placing highly trained nannies, tutors, private PAs, and domestic staff in high-profile households. The candidate pool is truly global, with applicants from as far afield as Mexico, Hawaii, South Africa and Singapore.
“I want to build the leading agency for high-profile and royal families worldwide,” she says.
To mark the six-month milestone, Nanny & Governess is offering 50% off all services for new families registering their search until Friday, 4th July 2025.
Enquiries can be made via the website www.nannygoverness.co.uk or by emailing [email protected].