A few days from now, on May 19, the world will hear the wedding bells ring for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
The royal wedding will take place this Saturday at midday at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor. The ceremony will be followed by a carriage procession leading to two receptions.
Theirs is a love story followed closely by the public eye. We know that Prince Harry and Meghan were introduced by fashion designer Misha Nonoo, then wife of one of the Prince’s friends.
We also know that Meghan is three years older than Prince Harry and that the bride’s engagement ring was designed by the groom himself.
However, did you know that there’s a secret Filipino connection between the two lovebirds?
Nanny to the royal family
Back in 2011, Prince William, older brother of Prince Harry, married Kate Middleton, now referred to as the Duchess of Cambridge, at the Westminster Abbey in London.
During the reception held at the Clarence House, Prince William kissed another girl aside from Kate and he called her “Lillie”.
Aracelli “Lillie” Piccio is actually Prince William’s nanny, a Filipina who took care of him and Prince Harry when they were young, alongside Princess Diana.
Lillie, a Pinay from Bacolod City, was the only Filipino invited to the royal wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
In an interview back in 2011, the Filipina said that during the reception, she also received a kiss from Prince Harry.
“When I looked up, it was Prince Harry. I tried to get up to curtsy to him but he told me to sit and he kissed me,” she said.
Prince William thanked her Pinay nanny on two occasions during his wedding day. One, for coming to the wedding, and the other, when he saw her at the Clarence House reception where he kissed her and introduced her to his bride.
She served Prince William and Prince Harry for more than a decade, from 1985-1999. She was one of the closest to Princess Diana until her death in 1997.
The Filipina nanny to the Royal Family has long since retired but admitted that she is full of happy memories from the Palace.
Although there is still no word or news about whether Lillie will be one of the guests during the Harry-Meghan nuptials, it is still a possibility that she will be one of the witnesses at the royal wedding on Saturday.
How did Meghan learn to speak Filipino?
A video showing Meghan speaking to Filipino couple Jenny and Jerald Ulay went viral early this year.
Jenny and her husband were among the huge crowd of people waiting to catch a glimpse of Prince Harry and Meghan at Edinburgh.
As the couple passed, Jenny gave her greetings to Meghan and mentioned that she is a Filipino and that she and her husband were celebrating their anniversary. To her surprise, Meghan stopped and talked to them, uttering a ‘Salamat po’ at the end of their conversation.
An article written by Meghan uploaded on The Tig, a lifestyle website that the bride-to-be edited, showed how familiar Meghan was with Filipinos and their colorful culture.
“Growing up in LA, with its melting pot of vast and varied cultures, I was no stranger to the Filipino community. I can whip up a big pot of chicken adobo like it’s nobody’s business, and you’ll occasionally hear me toss out a ‘Salamat po‘ conversationally,” Markle wrote.
In another article she wrote for The Today Show, Meghan discussed one of her favorite dishes to cook: adobo!
“I enjoy making slow-cooked food on Sundays, like Filipino-style chicken adobo. It’s so easy—combine garlic, soy (or Bragg Liquid Aminos), vinegar, maybe some lemon and let the chicken swim in that sauce until it falls off the bone in a Crock Pot. I have a beautiful Le Creuset that could also do the trick, but the Sunday supper ‘Americana’ of it all calls for a Crock Pot. Set it and forget it and serve with brown rice and salad.”
Primary photo: Getty Images
