Now that King Charles III has taken the throne, people are asking more questions about Queen Consort Camilla than ever before. Her powerful position doesn’t just impact her own life but also that of her relatives and especially her children. Despite how quiet she has been about her private life over the years, interesting information about the Parker Bowles family is rising to the surface.
Many people don’t even realize that she has children, but she has a son and a daughter who mostly attempt to stay out of the limelight. But one of her kids is more loud and outspoken than the other, which is set to create some challenging dynamics in the future. Read on to find out all about Parker Bowles’ new positions in the royal family.
Camila Couldn’t Marry Charles When They Were Young
Camilla was 25 years old when she married Andrew Parker Bowles. Camilla had previously dated King Charles back when he was a prince, but there were a few reasons why they weren’t allowed to marry at the time. For one, Camilla had been in a few relationships already and, therefore, was unlikely to have been a virgin.
Despite not marrying the future King of England at the time, her wedding to Andrew was still attended by royals. The Queen of England didn’t attend the society wedding, but some of her representatives did, namely Princess Anne, The Queen Mother, and Princess Margaret. Andrew was 33 years old at the time, and Camilla remained friends with her ex-boyfriend Prince Charles.
They Had An Unhappy Married Life
At this point, it is world famous that Charles had a miserable marriage to Princess Diana, despite how loved she was by the public. But it wasn’t only Charles and Diana that suffered in their marriages, as Camilla and Andrew were equally unhappy in their relationship, too. Andrew had committed adultery, just like Prince Charles and Princess Diana.
Throughout their marriage, Andrew is said to have had several affairs with various women, frequently with Camilla’s friends. He even dated Princess Anne for years before he married Camilla, but allegedly had to call it quits on their relationship due to his Catholic background.
Camilla Has a Son and a Daughter From Her First Marriage
The former Duchess of Cornwall had her first child, a son called Tom Parker Bowles, back in 1974, and her daughter Laura Lopes came along a few years later in 1978. Camilla’s marriage to the former army officer Andrew wasn’t a happy one, but they stayed together nonetheless for 22 years, separating in 1992 and divorcing three years after that.
Charles also separated from Princess Diana in 1992, divorcing four years later, with many believing that his relationship with Camilla was largely responsible for the breakdown of their marriage. Whether or not that was the case, Camilla was still not deemed to be a suitable partner for the future King of England as she was now a divorcee. It would be a while yet until Camilla would come to be accepted by the general public and the royal family.
Charles and Camilla Could Finally Be Together
But that changed, of course. The heir to the throne finally wed his longtime love in 2005, and gradually Camilla became accepted as part of the royal family, if not quite a replacement for the beloved Diana. And her two kids, who were almost unheard of before, suddenly found themselves in the seemingly envious position of being Charles’ stepchildren.
They would have to wait some years, but eventually, Charles and Camilla were able to be together. In 2005 they married and Camilla officially became one of the family, with the palace and the general public slowly warming to her. It’s around this time when Camilla’s children suddenly came into the picture, surprising many as they had previously kept a low profile. After all, much of the public hadn’t even realized that she had children from a previous marriage.
Camilla’s Daughter Laura Married a Calvin Klein Model
Let’s take a deeper look into Camilla’s children starting with her daughter Laura. She was born into wealth and privilege, rubbing shoulders with the royals and attending the most expensive private schools. She became Laura Lopes when she married Calvin Klein model Harry Lopes in 2006, only a year after her mother married into the royal family.
Laura and Harry’s wedding was a huge society event, however. They had around 500 guests in attendance, including members of the royal family like Prince William and Harry, Princess Margaret’s daughter Lady Sarah Chatto, and the then-Prince Charles. Even the Duchess of Cambridge, then simple Kate Middleton, was in attendance.
Camila’s Granddaughter Seems To Be Favorited By Charles
The royal family didn’t just attend Laura’s wedding; she also scored invites to their weddings. Laura was at both Prince William and Prince Harry’s weddings in 2011 and 2018, respectively. In fact, it’s thought that she was pretty close with the royals at this time as one of her daughters acted as a bridesmaid for William and Kate’s nuptials.
Some royal fans noticed that she might have been given preferential treatment when everyone gathered on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. At one point, Prince Charles held her up above the balustrade so that she could be better seen by the public and the paparazzi or so that she could take in a better view herself.
Laura Had a Bad History With Prince William
Despite their friendly behavior at weddings, there had been tension between Laura and Prince William since when they were little. Royal family expert and author Katie Nicholl published a book called William and Harry, in which she described the difficult relationship that Camilla’s daughter had with the heir to the throne.
Apparently, a lot of the tension stemmed from Prince Charles and Diana’s divorce: “William and Laura used to have terrible fights over who was to blame for their broken homes. William would blame Camilla for all the hurt she had caused his mother, which would send Laura into a rage.”
Laura Had a Fiery Temper Toward the Royal Family
According to Katie Nicholl, Laura didn’t let William put her or her mother down but rather stood her ground against the future King of England. “Laura was not having any of it. She would take a hard line and fire back at William, ‘Your father has ruined my life.’ ” Apparently, Laura didn’t just confront William. She would be just as direct with Prince Charles.
“When Charles telephoned Camilla at the family home in Wiltshire, Laura would pick up an extension and shout down the receiver, ‘Why don’t you stop calling mummy and leave our family alone?’ ” She certainly wasn’t intimidated by the royal family’s prestige as a young girl, which would come in helpful later in life after Camilla married into the ruling family.
Camilla’s Son Tom Is Totally Different To His Sister
Laura has been working in art galleries for her entire life, taking on a curator position in 2005 at the Eleven Gallery in London. But her older brother Tom joined the fine dining industry instead, working as a food critic and author of several cooking books. He’s written for the biggest newspapers and magazines, and appeared as a food judge on several TV shows.
Tom actually credits his mother, now the Queen of England, as his reason for developing a passion for all things food. According to Tom, it was Camilla’s cooking and personal recipes that inspired him to become a critic, especially since he claims that he was “rubbish at everything else” and failed to hold down any other kind of job.
Tom Implies That He Doesn’t Have a Close Relationship With the Royals
Tom and Laura have always kept their cards close to their chest, but on one occasion, Tom appeared to let slip his true relationship with his stepfather, Prince Charles. He suggested that they didn’t have a very close relationship, despite the fact that Charles was also given the title of being his godfather.
Tom was asked by the interviewer how he referred to the then-future King of England, to which Tom revealed that he simply calls him ” ‘Sir.’ Like, that’s his name.” When asked about what Prince William and Harry were like in real life, Tom responded that they were “both every bit as lovely and proper as you’d expect.”
Tom Lets Slip That the Palace Wasn’t Sure About Camilla’s Title
Even though Tom didn’t appear to go out of his way to share information about his famous mom and stepfather, he was agreeable enough to answer some questions about them from time to time. In 2021, he gave an interview to The Times in which he revealed that Camilla’s royal title still hadn’t been decided upon by Buckingham Palace and the royal family.
He stated, “I honestly don’t know if Mum will be called queen. That hasn’t been decided. There are lots of interesting Sky documentaries about that I’m sure, but I honestly don’t know if that’s true.” After all, the public was still torn about Camilla’s involvement with the royal family, with many failing to forgive her for the part she played in ending Prince Charles’ relationship with Princess Diana.
Camilla Has Struggled As a Divisive Royal Family Figure
Much of Camilla’s life in the public eye has been marred by the public’s apparent dislike of her. On one occasion, it is said that people chucked food at her when she had popped in to a supermarket. A former butler to the royal household, who had been present at Charles’ wedding to Camilla, clarified that the Duchess of Cornwall was a dividing public figure.
Former butler Harold stated, “I’m aware that there’s a real love-hate relationship when it comes to the future of the monarchy. With Prince Charles — the majority of people love him.” But, he conceded that there would come a time when Camilla would be largely accepted: “She has proven herself and the Queen has given her that endorsement by supporting her and announcing she’s going to be queen consort.”
The Palace Stated That Camilla Wouldn’t Be Queen Consort In 2020
It seemed as though Buckingham Palace was leaning towards not giving Camilla the “queen” title. Over the years, the public perception of Camilla changed for the better, especially since she kept herself out of trouble or controversy. But the palace maintained that Camilla would still not be called Queen Consort.
Representatives for the palace said that Camilla would instead be given the title Princess Consort. In 2020, they released a statement that read, “The intention is for the Duchess to be known as Princess Consort when the Prince accedes to the throne. This was announced at the time of the marriage and there has been absolutely no change at all.”
The Queen’s Wish To See Camilla As Queen Consort Overrides the Palace’s Intentions
It was only three years ago when the palace confirmed Camilla’s future title. But in 2022, Queen Elizabeth put out a statement of her own that defied what the palace had said. For her Platinum Jubilee, the Queen of England declared that Camilla would, in fact, be given the title of Queen Consort.
Queen Elizabeth stated, “When, in the fullness of time, my son Charles becomes King, I know you will give him and his wife Camilla the same support that you have given me. And it is my sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service.”
The Public Were Surprised To Learn of Camilla’s Relationship With the Queen
Queen Elizabeth’s statement came as quite a shock to the public, as up until that point, it hadn’t been explicitly clear that Camilla enjoyed a good reason with Her Majesty. US Weekly quoted an insider source who stated that there had been mistrust in their relationship when Camilla first joined the royal family but that all her suspicions had been laid to rest.
According to the US Weekly’s source, “Elizabeth was skeptical about Camilla when she married Charles and the circumstances were certainly challenging, but through her dedication and loyalty to The Firm, she has more than proved to her that she has what it takes.” Regardless, it seemed as though Camilla was well and truly accepted, at least by some members of the royal family.
It’s Suspected That Neither Prince William Nor Harry Saw It Coming
Despite receiving the queen’s blessing, there were news reports about how unhappy other members of the royal family were about Camilla’s upcoming title. Considering how important titles are in Buckingham Palace, those who weren’t so close to Camilla might have had a problem with her being given such a huge honor.
After all, when it came to the children of Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, they weren’t given any royal titles. It was thought that both Prince Harry and Will had a problem with it, with US Weekly reporting that this news had “driven a wedge” between the family and left them “completely blindsided.”
Prince Harry’s Kind Words Towards Stepmother Camilla
That being said, there was also evidence that the princes may have been happy about the news of Camilla’s future title. In 2005, Prince Harry turned 21 years old and he had some reassuring words to say about his father’s wife. He described Camilla as “a wonderful woman,” adding that she had “made our father very, very happy, which is the most important thing.”
Prince Harry continued: “William and I love her to bits,” adding, “To be honest with you, she’s always been very close to me and William… she’s not the wicked stepmother, I’ll say that right now. Everyone has to understand that it’s very hard for her. Look at the position she’s coming into.” Harry certainly seemed to harbor sympathetic feelings towards Camilla.
Are Camilla’s Children Acquiring Any Official Titles?
Now that the coronation of Charles III and his wife, Camilla, has taken place in May 2023, Camilla has officially taken on the title of Queen Consort, just as Queen Elizabeth wanted. Interestingly, however, Camilla’s children haven’t been granted any titles since the coronation. It was never on the agenda that they would acquire a titled position in the royal family upon their mother and stepfather ascending the throne.
Despite Camilla’s important title, she doesn’t have the power to give out titles to her kids just because they’re related to her. Camilla’s title may contain the word “Queen,” but her power as a Head of State pales in comparison to that of her husband, the King of England. But even though the kids haven’t been given official titles, there have been subtle hints and suggestions, even since the coronation, that they may play a more important role soon enough.
The All-Important Positioning During the Coronation Puts Camilla’s Family Front and Center
For Camilla’s coronation, much of her family stepped out from the limelight to support her during her historic moment. Camilla’s grandchildren joined her on the balcony of Buckingham Palace and, much to the surprise of the public, stood in significant positions right beside the King and Queen Consort.
Laura’s twin sons, Master Gus Lopes and Master Louis Lopes, stood on Camilla’s left-hand side and were joined by Lola and Freddy, Camilla’s grandchildren from her son Tom. Even the son of Camilla’s nephew was given a role during the coronation as another Page of Honour for the queen. As a grandmother to five children and a step-grandmother to another five children, Camilla gave many of her relatives some significant positions.
Camilla Put Her Children’s and Grandchildren’s Names On Her Coronation Dress
There’s even more reason to believe that we may be seeing more of Camilla’s family members in the spotlight. For the coronation, Camilla wore an elaborate silk ivory gown which had been given some personalized detailing. Around the skirt of the custom-made dress, Camilla had the names of both of her children embroidered, along with the names of her grandchildren.
The names of her family members weren’t joined by the names of King Charles’ children and grandchildren. Making such a bold gesture on her coronation gown might suggest that she intends for her family members to play a more central role in royal life. After all, it was a hugely significant moment in royal history and one where every detail counts.
