The extended royal family. When Queen Consort Camilla married King Charles III in 2005, Prince William and Prince Harry gained two stepsiblings: Tom Parker Bowles and Laura Lopes.
The former Duchess of Cornwall shares Tom (born in December 1974) and Laura (born in January 1978) with ex-husband Andrew Parker Bowles, whom she divorced in 1995 after more than 20 years of marriage. Though the king is now their stepfather, Tom and Laura knew Charles for years before he married their mother. (Charles, for his part, was Tom’s godfather before he was his stepdad.)
In 2015, Tom revealed that he shares a close bond with the former Prince of Wales. “I’ve always adored my stepfather; he’s always been a kind and good and lovely man,” the food writer told Australian news show A Current Affair at the time. “He is a man of warmth, intelligence and humanity and I think if it ever happens, he will make a fantastic king.”
The Year of Eating Dangerously author also revealed that his own children call Charles “Umpa” at home. Tom shares daughter Lola (born in 2007) and son Frederick (born in 2010) with ex-wife Sara Buys. The food pro and the magazine editor called it quits in 2018 after 13 years of marriage.
Laura, for her part, tied the knot with Harry Lopes in 2006. The duo are the parents of daughter Eliza (born in 2008) and twin sons Gus and Louis (born in 2009). When Laura’s stepbrother William wed Princess Kate in April 2011, Eliza was one of the bridesmaids at the ceremony.
While Tom’s career has made him something of a celebrity in the U.K., Laura has kept a relatively low profile since her mother married into the royal family. After graduating from Oxford Brookes University, Laura began her career as an art curator, working at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, Italy, and later at The Space Gallery in London. In 2005, she cofounded London’s Eleven gallery, which represents contemporary artists.
Though Camilla’s children are close with their stepfather, they are rarely photographed with William and Harry. When the former duchess and Charles wed in 2005, their children posed with them for official photographs at Windsor Castle. Tom and Laura were also in attendance when Harry married Meghan Markle in May 2018.
When Queen Elizabeth II died at age 96 in September 2022, Camilla officially became Queen Consort, but her children did not receive titles. The queen had previously signaled her approval of Camilla’s title change in February 2022 after years of speculation about what she would be called following the monarch’s death.
“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,” Elizabeth said in a statement at the time. “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.”
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