Three Filipino Connections to the British Royal Family

The passing of Queen Elizabeth II is reverberating in many places around the world, especially in the Commonwealth and its old colonies. In the Philippines, royal watchers are also mourning the death of Britain’s longest-serving monarch. 

Except for that brief time when Britain occupied Manila between 1762 and 1764, the Philippines was never a colony of the British Empire. Still, the Royal Family is a source of endless fascination for many Filipinos. Here are a few connections Queen Elizabeth II and the Royal Family has to the Philippines.

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1| A Filipino Nanny

There is, of course, the Filipino nanny who served the Royal Family. Araceli “Lillie” Piccio was a member of the late Princess Diana’s household staff for years until her death in 1997. Piccio was nanny to Prince William and Prince Harry growing up, and she must have left a lasting impression especially to William, who invited her to his wedding to Catherine in 2011.

2| Royal Visits

Although Queen Elizabeth never stepped foot in the Philippines, other members of the Royal Family did. Her sister Princess Margaret visited the country in 1980. A banquet in her honor was held at Malacañag Palace hosted by then-First Lady Imelda Marcos. 

Prince Charles briefly visited Manila after the handover ceremony of Hong Kong back to China in 1997. Another of Queen Elizabeth II’s children, Princess Anne, came to the country twice: in 1999 and 2015.

Meanwhile, Prince Andrew also visited the Philippines to discuss defense and trade relations in 2001.

3| Citations from the Queen

During the height of the pandemic, Queen Elizabeth II honored Filipino nurses in the U.K. with the British Empire Medal for their unwavering commitment to their profession. Minerva Klepacz worked as an ophthalmologist at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital and was honored in 2020, while Charito Romano was a staff nurse at Arbrook House in Surrey and was honored in 2021.

The late Queen also conferred other Filipinos with prestigious citations over the years, including consular officers at the British Embassy in Manila for their contributions after the devastation of Supertyphoon Yolanda in 2013; a nurse for helping during the terrorist attack at London Bridge in 2017; and a driver who served eight British ambassadors in the Philippines.