Royal enthusiasts recently caught a glimpse of the woman believed to be the nanny of Princess Eugenie’s sons, August and Ernest Brooksbank, during a public appearance.

The granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II, now 35, and her husband Jack, aged 39, attended King Charles’ traditional Christmas luncheon at Buckingham Palace, mingling with other royal family members.

Princess Eugenie, the daughter of the embattled Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson, was seen sitting in the front passenger seat of their vehicle as her husband navigated them to the royal gathering.

However, it was the individual seated in the back between four-year-old August and two-year-old Ernest who truly piqued public curiosity.

This presumed nanny, yet to be identified, stood out with her distinctive nose ring and bold two-tone hairstyle, featuring both blonde and black hues.

Given their hectic lifestyle, it is understandable that Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank, who juggle their lives between Portugal and the UK while managing careers as a gallery director and marketing executive respectively, would require extra assistance.

And while Sarah Ferguson has always been a hands-on grandmother – affectionately called ‘Gigi’ by Beatrice and Eugenie’s children – she has stepped back from public appearances since being implicated in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.

The new nanny’s trendy look yesterday was worlds away from the prim and proper appearance of the Prince and Princess of Wales’s helper Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo, who also attended the lunch.

Believed to be the children’s nanny, the unidentified passenger (pictured) sported an eye-catching nose ring and an edgy two-tone blonde and black hair style

Jack Brooksbank and a woman thought to be his and Princess Eugenie’s nanny attending the King’s Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace

She was photographed in a car alongside Prince William and Princess Charlotte as they joined Kate and Princes George and Louis at the royal gathering.

Maria, a graduate of the prestigious nanny school Norland College, in Bath, was hired by the Prince and Princess of Wales in 2014 to help them look after George when he was eight months old. She now cares for Charlotte and Louis too. 

She lived with the family at Kensington Palace but when they moved into Adelaide Cottage in Windsor’s Home Park she stopped being a live-in nanny. However, she has continued to care for the children while living at another property. 

At the time she was hired, Kensington Palace released a statement saying: ‘Maria is a full-time nanny, who started work with us recently, and will be accompanying the Duke and Duchess and Prince George to New Zealand and Australia.

It added: ‘We will not be giving further details on Maria or her employment, except to say that the Duke and Duchess are of course delighted she has chosen to join them.’

Maria was born in Madrid but grew up in Palencia in northern Spain. 

She is said to have been nicknamed Santa – Spanish for saint – by those closest to her when she was a youngster.

Maria trained at the prestigious Norland College, where students are known for their distinctive uniforms and are schooled in all aspects of looking after youngsters during their three-year degree course.

The training costs £36,000 in total and the college added martial arts training and stunt driving to its curriculum to cater for modern clients – many of whom are celebrities and the super-rich.

The Prince and Princess of Wales’s nanny Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo (pictured centre) was photographed in a car alongside Prince William and Princess Charlotte as they joined Kate and Princes George and Louis at the royal gathering

Prince William and Catherine are seen arriving at Buckingham Palace with their children

Tae Kwon-Do is believed to be the martial art of choice – which has been specially adapted to include how to dodge a potential kidnapper with a pram.

Nannies are also trained in how to deal with paparazzi and are taken to Castle Combe Racing Circuit in Wiltshire to perfect their driving skills and learn how to drive at high speed in any weather condition.

Friends in Maria’s hometown have previously claimed she would have become a nun had she not ended up pursuing her passion for looking after children.

Her austere lifestyle made her the perfect candidate to become a servant of God, they said.

Ms Borrallo’s brother Luis did follow a religious pathway, having been ordained a deacon in 2011.

Born in Madrid, but having grown up in Palencia, she is the second eldest of four children, born to an engineer father Luis, who died of cancer, and her teacher mother, Maria Teresa.

She attended church regularly with the rest of her family as she was growing up.

Ms Borrallo left Spain for the UK more than 20 years ago after graduating with a degree in teaching. However she returns to Palencia to see her family whenever she gets a chance.

Kate and William with nanny Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo and the late Queen outside the church following Princess Charlotte’s Christening

One of her brothers, Ignacio, teaches viola and violin to private students in the area.

He boasted on an online CV that he is one of the most sought-after violin and viola teachers in Spain’s Castile and Leon region, with more than 20 years’ experience at conservatories and music schools in his home country and Canada.

Her youngest brother Pablo is a teacher who worked in the south of France.