Filipinos love hearing foreigners speak Filipino, so a couple who met the United Kingdom’s Prince Harry and his fiance Meghan Markle was pleasantly surprised when they were greeted by the actress in Tagalog after meeting her in Edinburgh, Scotland, last week.
The video was first posted by Jenny Ulay on Facebook last Tuesday but was reposted by Facebook user Malcolm S. Conlan yesterday and is now making its rounds online.
“Wow, so impressed with soon to be Princess, Meghan Markle, fiancé of HRH Prince Harry, making the effort to speak in Tagalog, during their walkabout in Edinburgh,” Conlan wrote in his caption.
https://www.facebook.com/mal.conlan/posts/1677079699024305
In the video, you can see people waiting to meet with the royal couple. Markle gets to Ulay, who shares that she and her husband are celebrating their wedding anniversary. Right before the conversation ends, they shake hands and Markle says “Salamat po (thank you).” You can see that Ulay was shocked by this and giggled as she said “salamat” back.
This isn’t the first time Markle has shown her interest in Filipino culture, who grew up in Los Angeles, California, a state where Filipinos are the largest Asian American group.
On her now-defunct lifestyle website The Tig, she even wrote about how Filipino culture brings her back to her childhood.
“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,” she said.
She even included her chicken adobo recipe as part of her top 10 dishes in an article she wrote for The Today Show.
“I enjoy making slow-cooked food on Sundays, like Filipino-style chicken adobo. It’s so easy—combine garlic, soy (or Bragg Liquid Aminos), vinegar, maybe some lemon and let the chicken swim in that sauce until it falls off the bone in a Crock Pot.”
The recent video of her saying thank you in Filipino has been received well by Filipinos online, and many are happy that she took the effort to learn some words in the language.
The UK is a top destination for overseas Filipino workers, so Markle should feel right at home.
Dhors Niuqnaitid says
It’s always a pride when foreigners try to used some words in your native language to greet you.