- Kathryn Lord is a British author and nanny who previously worked for billionaire families.
- Lord told Insider she traveled the world with her clients and spent several weeks on a cruise ship.
Kathryn Lord is a British author and nanny who previously spent many years traveling the world with billionaire clients.
Lord is the author of the 2019 children's education book "There's More to Books Than Reading," and the 2022 book "More to Organizing." She told Insider that both books gained recognition from the late Queen Elizabeth and Princess of Wales after she sent them copies and they responded via private letters.
Lord is considered an expert in childcare, as she has a master's degree in education from Durham University and she often gives workshops on the subject. Her expertise is also due in part to her experience working as a nanny.
Lord told Insider that while she currently nannies part-time, she previously nannied full-time and several of her former clients were billionaires.
Lord said that working with billionaire families often involved travel, and that she would be flown around the world in first class with the family's private chef to their various residences. Some of these jobs were long-term, she said, including one family she was employed by for around two-and-a-half years who owned residences across the globe.
Others were short-term, including a two-week stint on a cruise ship around northern Europe. Lord said she got to visit South Africa, Italy, the Maldives, various remote islands, and many more locations during her time working for these families.
Lord shared with Insider the wildest things she witnessed on the job.
Lord said one parent gave her their credit card and told her she wasn't allowed to refuse anything the child asked for
Lord said one client who she worked for around 14 years ago gave her their credit card, which was specifically for the child to use, and told her she "wasn't allowed to say no" to any of the child's requests.
"I didn't let him have everything he asked for," Lord said. "But money was no issue for them."
One family had a private chef and masseuse
Lord said that one family she worked for had a chef on call 24 hours a day, and that the family would wake them up in the middle of the night if they got hungry. They also had a private masseuse who lived nearby, she added.
Lord said she had to get used to being waited on by butlers
Lord said that some of the vacations she embarked on with one of her clients involved being waited on by butlers, which she struggled to get used to.
"It was a bit weird for me, because obviously I'm there to look after the children, but I'm being told to sit down and be served on and I don't quite like being served on," she said.
"But it's the dynamic, and that happens," she added.
Looking back, Lord said she would only change one thing about the experience
Lord said she thoroughly enjoyed working for billionaire families, and that looking back on the experience there is only one thing she would change, which would be to recognize the value of her own time.
"My time is still worthy. I think some of the families — not all of them – took advantage of my time and my kindness," Lord said.
"So with some families, I felt like I couldn't say no, so I would do longer hours. Then it leads to burnout and tiredness, and you can't do your job properly. At the end of the day, you're there for the children, and if you're wiped out you can't support them in the best way possible," she added.