To celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee, we have unearthed some interesting facts about the Royal family and their connection to the Philippines. From the finest mangoes to a Filipina nanny and messages to Typhoon Haiyan victims, there turns out to be a surprisingly wide range of royal links. Read on to discover more.
1) Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles have both praised Filipino nurses in the UK.
The Queen and Prince Charles have separately thanked Filipino nurses for their contribution to the healthcare sector in the UK, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic. They sent their messages on the occasion of the 75th year of diplomatic relations between the UK and the Philippines in 2021.
“We are fortunate to have many nurses from the Philippines in the National Health Service,” the Queen said in a message sent to President Rodrigo Duterte in July 2021. “I wanted to express my sincerest gratitude for their work, especially in response to the coronavirus,” she added.
Meanwhile, Prince Charles sent a video message in June 2021 saying, “To these wonderfully selfless people, I wanted to offer my most heartfelt gratitude for the outstanding care and comfort you give to your patients.” The video was shared by former British Ambassador to the Philippines Daniel Pruce on his Twitter account.
2) Philippine mangoes are reportedly loved by the Royal family.
It has been reported that Philippine mangoes were among the favourite fruits of the late Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, who died in 2002. According to Andrew Langston who worked as personal attendant to members of the royal family, the late Queen Mother “just loved mangoes.” Langston also served Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana.
The Philippine mango is the country’s national fruit and known to be among the sweetest in the world. It is rumoured in the Philippines that a consignment of “royal mangoes” from Guimaras – the famous mango-producing region of the southern Philippines – was sent each year to Buckingham Palace.
Although there have been claims that Philippine mangoes hold the 1995 Guinness World Record (GWR) for being the sweetest variety, we have not found any information on the GWR website to confirm this. Tinig UK has contacted the GWR for confirmation but we are still waiting for their reply.
3) The Queen sent a message to Filipinos who have been affected by Typhoon Haiyan.
Queen Elizabeth sent her “heartfelt condolences” to those who have been affected by Typhoon Haiyan in 2013. It was one of the most powerful storms of all time, killing more than 6,000 people and leaving 1,800 missing.
“I was deeply saddened to hear of the loss of life and devastation caused by the typhoon that hit the Philippines at the weekend,” she said in a message to the late Philippine president Benigno Aquino III. The Queen also made a personal donation to the British Red Cross’ Typhoon Haiyan Appeal.
4) Princess Margaret was the first member of the Royal family to visit the Philippines.
Princess Margaret visited the Philippines in April 1980 and was met at the airport by then First Lady Imelda Marcos. Based on our research, she appears to be the first member of the Royal family to have paid an official visit to the country. The Princess attended the inauguration of the Philippines Children’s Medical Center before attending a gala held in her honor at Malacañan Palace.
Princess Margaret’s encounter with Imelda Marcos made it to the fourth season of The Crown, Netflix’s award-winning series dramatising the lives of the royals between the early 1980s and the early 1990s. In the episode “Fairytale,” Princess Margaret (portrayed by Helena Bonham Carter) tells the royal family how Imelda “barges into the room” during a state dinner. Apparently, she was desperate to show Margaret her “shell collection.” Prince Philip (played by Tobias Menzies) chides Princess Margaret, saying Imelda must have meant her “shoe collection.” The other royals then start poking fun at Imelda’s accent.
5) Prince Charles, Princess Anne, and Prince Andrew have also visited the Philippines.
It does not appear that the Queen has yet visited the Philippines. However, other members of the Royal family have been. Prince Charles first visited the Philippines in July 1997 after attending the UK handover of Hong Kong to China. He and former Hong Kong Governor Chris Patten arrived by royal yacht Britannia in Manila. It was a 10-hour visit to the country before he flew back to the UK.
Princess Anne has visited the Philippines twice: the first time in 1999 and the second in March 2015. Her second visit was related to her charity and humanitarian work. She has been President of Save the Children for more than four decades and an active advocate of children’s rights and protection.
In May 2001, Prince Andrew paid an official visit to the Philippines to promote defense and trade relations between the UK and the Philippines.
6) Prince William and Prince Harry had a Filipina nanny.
Did you know that Prince William and Prince Harry had a Filipino nanny?
Araceli “Lillie” Piccio, a nurse from Bacolod, was a member of the late Lady Diana’s household staff for eight years until the Princess died in 1997. Lillie, who also looked after the young princes, was invited to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding back in 2011. She spoke highly of her former employers, saying “Once you work with them, you’ll never want to leave them.”
7) Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, adores adobo!
Yes, you have read it correctly! – the Duchess of Sussex loves adobo, the Philippines’ national dish!
Writing on her now-defunct lifestyle blog, The Tig, Meghan shared: “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 simply because the culture, vernacular of Tagalog, and insanely delicious food of the Philippines brings back fond memories of my childhood as an Angeleno” – a native of Los Angeles.
8) Queen Elizabeth has given honours to exemplary Filipinos.
Queen Elizabeth has recognised a few Filipinos for their outstanding services to the community. In 2015, two Filipino consular officers at the British Embassy in Manila were honoured as Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for their work in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan (local name Yolanda). Vice Consul Victoria Buenaventura and Pro-Consul Joanna Teh helped search for and assist British nationals who had been affected by the typhoon.
For treating the victims of the London Bridge terror attack in 2017, lead nurse Joy Montalba Ongcachuy was conferred Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth in December 2018. She works at the Royal London Hospital and hails from Talisayan, Misamis Oriental in the southern Philippines.
Rolando Quetevis, a Filipino driver who served eight British ambassadors over 33 years, was awarded by the Queen with the British Empire Medal (BEM) for his services to UK-Philippines relations in July 2019.
Two Filipino nurses were honoured for their dedication to their work at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Minerva “Minnie” Klepacz, matron for ophthalmology at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital, led the risk assessment for ethnic minority network at her trust. She also gave exceptional support to Filipino colleagues outside of work. Meanwhile, Charito Romano, a staff nurse at Arbrook House in Surrey, was awarded for rallying her nursing and care team to keep care home residents and colleagues safe. Klepacz received the British Empire Medal in 2020 and Romano, in 2021.
Have we missed any other Royal family links to the Philippines? If you know of any, do please let us know!
