Who are Prince Harry and William’s step-siblings? Meet Laura Lopes and Tom Parker Bowles, Camilla’s millionaire kids from her first marriage before Prince Charles
Although Laura and Tom’s existence isn’t exactly a secret, not many people know much about them as they are publicity shy and neither Harry nor William ever really talk about them.
Here are some interesting facts about the royal brothers’ not-so-famous step-siblings.
They’re self-made
Tom Parker Bowles was born on December 18, 1974. Before working as a junior publicist for Dennis Davidson Associates, he attended Eton College and Worcester College in Oxford. In 2004, he published his first book E is For Eating – An Alphabet of Greed.
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Laura Lopes was born on New Year’s Day in 1978. She attended a Catholic school before going to Oxford Brookes University, where she studied art history and marketing. After university, Lopes pursued a career in gallery management and worked as a motoring correspondent for Tatler in 2001.
They’re private citizens, not royals
Tom is a cookbook author, food writer, critic and broadcaster. He is the author of eight books, a contributing editor to Conde Nast Traveller, a star on MasterChef and winner of the Guild of Food Writers Award. In 2014, he was named one of the top 10 most followed UK restaurant critics on Twitter.
Lopes, on the other hand, works as an art curator. She first managed The Space Gallery in London and then co-founded London’s Eleven Gallery in 2005.
They married commoners
Tom married Sara Buys, a features editor of Harpers & Queen and senior editor of British Town & Country magazine, in Oxfordshire in 2005. However, the couple split in 2018. They have two children: Lola, 15, and Frederick, 12.
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Laura married former Calvin Klein model-turned-accountant Harry Lopes in Wiltshire, in 2006. Lopes wore a wedding dress by Anna Valentine, the same designer for Camilla when she married Prince Charles in 2005. The couple have three children, daughter Eliza, 14, and 12-year-old twins Gus and Louis.
They’re worth millions
Though Harry and William’s step-siblings are private citizens and live their lives firmly away from the spotlight, they’re worth millions. Tom is worth US$9 million while Lopes has an estimated net worth of US$1 million to US$5 million.
Besides, Laura could soon become the owner of two stately homes. As the grandson of the second Baron Rosborough, her husband Harry is set to inherit both Gnaton Hall in Devon and Skelpick Estate in the Scottish Highlands.
They’re cordial to their royal siblings
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According to Nicholl, William blamed Camilla for the hurt his mother Diana suffered, while Laura hit back that Prince Charles ruined their lives, blaming him for breaking up her parents’ marriage.
In 1993, when the news of Camilla’s affair with Prince Charles shocked the nation, Tom was at Oxford and was pained to read the news of the couple, according to British media. However, as Lopes and Tom grew up, they reportedly got along well with their stepbrothers.
- Lopes and Parker Bowles prefer to stay out of the royal spotlight, and are instead known for their achievements – including art and critically-acclaimed writing
- They attended Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding, as well as Prince Harry’s to Meghan Markle – but apparently didn’t get along at first