To receive an invitation to a royal wedding is such rare opportunity for anyone to be proud of. As the world waits to witness the wedding ceremony of Prince William and Kate Middleton on Friday, only one Filipina had the chance to be invited for the reception of William and Kate in Buckingham palace.
She is Araceli “Lillie” Piccio, a nurse from Bacolod City, Philippines who had been a royal nanny of Prince William and Prince Harry from 1985 until1999. She is the only former royal staff who had been invited to attend the royal wedding reception in Buckingham Palace.
The late Princess Diana calls her “Miss Lillie”. She is known to be one of the closest people to Princess Diana. She is recognized to be the first Filipina that the Royal Family have employed.
The last time that she was able to see both Prince William and Prince Harry were way back 2002. It was the time when the younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II, the late Princess Margaret, had died. Those memories were still fresh for Lillie.
An article from a site says that Piccio currently works in London under a new employer. In her long years of serving, Lillie describes the royal family to be nice, down-to-earth and very humane.
London tabloids publish some negative feedbacks about the royal family but she still stands to defend them believing that those were actually the opposite of how she personally knows them.
She also shares that being humble is one of the positive values that both Prince William and Prince Harry had inherited from their mother, late Princess Diana. They also love to mingle with the average people.
Piccio was able to serve in Kensington Palace when a recruiter offered her to work as one of the royal household staff. She used to be the one who wakes up Princess Diana every morning. So when she will be asked if she misses the late princess, she turns to be emotional.
Piccio resigned as a royal household staff a few months after the death of Princess Diana.
Her sister Nimfa Piccio shares that when Lillie resigned, Prince William (who was only turning 16 years old that time) spoke to this Filipina nanny saying, “When I get married, I will take you back.”
Despite the fact that England faces an economic turmoil at present, Piccio has that faith that William and Kate still have the support of the British people.
Piccio remains to be single at 65. She gladly travels to visit her hometown, Bacolod, regularly.
