Governess of the Children of France.

About Governess of the Children of France

The governess of the children of France was an office in the French royal court in pre-Revolutionary France and during the Bourbon Restoration. As the head of the royal nursery, she was charged with the education of the children and grandchildren of the monarch. The holder of the office was taken from the highest-ranking nobility of France and was passed between female family members for much of its history by right of succession (survivance). The governess was supported by various deputies or under-governesses and oversaw a household consisting of dozens of servants and caregivers.