Fri05182012

Filipina nanny receives invite to Royal Wedding

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Prince William apparently has not forgotten one of his former nannies, Bacolod native Araceli Piccio, as she has been invited to his royal union with Kate Middle­ton in April. As stated in his column pub­lished on March 7, Bacolod so­ciety columnist Nimfa “Buddai” Piccio confirmed to entertainment host-writer Ricky Lo that her sis­ter, Araceli, received one of the almost 2,000 invites distributed last month for the much-awaited wedding that will take place at the Westminster Abbey in London.

The invitation, Buddai added, is good for Araceli, plus one. Araceli’s presence in the occa­sion will put her in the same venue with other royal figures, political leaders, and celebrities including power couple David and Victoria Beckham.

Prince William might also fulfill a vow he made to Araceli. Buddai recalled to Ricky what the prince told the nanny when he was 16: “When I get married, I will take you back.”
Fondly called “Miss Lillie” by Prince William’s mother no less, Princess Diana, Araceli served as part of the royal household staff until she resigned a few years af­ter Princess Di’s untimely death in 1997, added Ricky Lo’s report. She was also the nanny of Prince William’s brother, Prince Harry.

Ricky noted that Araceli is the only Filipina in the royal household as well as “the first Filipina ever to have been employed by the Royal Family.”

Araceli, a nurse who had a part-time stint at ITV-4, got hired after she met a lady who was in charge of recruiting candidates for the royal household, as “Miss Lil­lie” herself recounted to Ricky in his 1989 story.
Working for Princess Diana,her husband Prince Charles and their two sons was something that Araceli enjoyed. She recalled that Princess Di used to ask her to wake her up in the morning. She also recount­ed the warmth and generosity of the Royal Couple, never forgetting the birthdays of their staff and giving them gifts with personalized cards, as well as hosting “barbeque parties” where Princess Di and Prince Charles bonded with their staff.

Araceli is cur­rently in London working un­der a different employer, the Ricky Lo report added.(mb.com)