Do royals even know the Philippines?

IF you stayed up until late Saturday night to watch the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, then you must have had your fill of the royal romance by now.

Millions around the world watched the ceremony, fascinated by its grandeur and the promise of a royal life filled with love. Although Prince Harry is sixth in line to the British throne, he has captured the hearts of many people who watched him grow - from the baby in the arms of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, to a 12-yearold coping with the death of a parent, to an awkward and troublesome teenager, and now, to a husband starting his own family.

With Filipinos equally mesmerized by this wedding, one must ask – Do the royal couple even know the Philippines?

Earlier reports have pointed to how both Princes William and Harry were raised by a Filipino nanny named Araceli “Lillie” Piccio. Piccio was one of the guests when William wed Kate Middleton, now referred to as the Duchess of Cambridge, in 2011. After their ceremony, William hugged and kissed Piccio during the reception at the Clarence House. This was followed also by a kiss from Prince Harry. Piccio, originally from Bacolod City, was the only Filipino invited to that royal wedding. She must have also been invited to the Harry-Meghan wedding. (I wrote this by deadline but before the wedding took place.)

Piccio said in past interviews that she was proud to see how the two princes have grown into responsible, loving and humble gentlemen. She was nanny to Prince William and Prince Harry from 1985 to 1999 and was also close to Princess Diana until a car crash killed her in 1997. Piccio has since been retired. Under her “nannyship,” she said William and Harry learned a thing or two about val ues.

Another Filipino connection seen in the wedding of Prince Harry and Markle was the fondness of the new bride for Filipino food, adobo in particular. In an article in The Tig, an online lifestyle publication (now offline), Markle said she can speak a few words in Filipino and she loves chicken adobo.

She wrote in her blog in 2017, “Growing up in LA (Los Angeles), 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’(thank you)

conversationally simply because the culture, vernacular of Tagalog, and insanely delicious food of the Philippines bring back fond memories of my childhood as an Angeleno.”

Does she take chicken adobo with “unli” rice like a Filipino? Perhaps, not.

There’s a video of Markle who startled a Filipino couple who witnessed the announcement of her engagement with Prince Harry by saying to them “Salamat po.”

It’s interesting to note that with the worldwide attention focused on the new couple, they do know about our country. If they visit us, at least we would be sure of the food to serve them and would expect a “Salamat po” from the new princess.