Though the public is most familiar with her as King Charles III's wife and Britain's newest queen (????), once upon a time Queen Camilla Parker Bowles was married to Andrew Parker Bowles and raised two kids with him. Enter: Tom Parker Bowles and Laura Lopes. Yes, you should probs know about them. But no, we don't blame you if you don't just yet. That's why we did *all* the sleuthing so you don't have to—yw! Just keep on scrolling for all the deets on Queen Camilla's two children, starting with....
Tom Parker Bowles, 48
Queen Camilla's oldest child, Tom, was born on December 18, 1974, and fun fact! He actually has kind of an iconic bond with King Charles, who is not only his stepfather but his godfather as well. Because the then-prince was infamously close with Camilla back when she was considering who would get that special distinction, she thought of none other than her future husband.
As for what Tom does professionally? Well, he's primarily known as a successful food writer, and in 2010 he even won a Guild of Food Writers award for Full English: A Journey Through the British and Their Food, a travelogue on English cuisine.
Over the years, Tom has authored multiple (!!) cookbooks, served as The Mail on Sunday's restaurant critic, been a contributor to Esquire U.K. and GQ, and has often appeared as a judge on culinary reality shows and competitions. TL;DR: He's beyond impressive. But there's another side to him too....
"I was naughty, partied a bit hard. When I was younger I got sacked all the time," Tom said during a 2017 interview about his career trajectory. "But I loved eating and could just about string a sentence together, so I thought I could write about food." It was then that he "just sort of rocked up" to British magazine Tatler and pitched a food column. "The more you write, the more you work for good editors and that just builds a career, bit by bit. So now, 17 years into it, that’s my job."
In September 2005, the creative married fashion editor Sara Buys, and his stepbrothers who you maaaaay or may not have heard of named Prince William and Prince Harry attended the ceremony at Oxfordshire's St. Nicholas' Church.
The couple later welcomed two kids named Lola (15) and Freddy (13) before ultimately splitting in 2018. Freddy even served as the page of honor at King Charles and Queen Camilla's coronation ceremony. Here he is in the red:
Laura Lopes, 45
Laura Rosa Parker Bowles was born on January 1, 1978, making her Camilla's second child. Growing up, she attended Catholic boarding school and would later go on to study at Oxford Brookes University before becoming a successful art curator. In 2005, after managing the Space Gallery in London, she cofounded London's Eleven Fine Art, where she served as the gallery's director for the next 10 years.
Then in 2006, she married Harry Lopes, the grandson of Lord Astor of Hever and a former Calvin Klein model who wound up becoming a "chartered accountant" (a fancy phrase for what's considered a certified public accountant here in the United States) and CEO of Eden Renewables. Oh, and to keep the spirit of tradition going, William and Harry attended their wedding too, of course.
^ Truly love these pics.
Together, the couple shares three children: Eliza (15) and twin sons Gus and Louis (13). Camilla has occasionally opened up about Tom and Laura's children and once even referred to one of her granddaughters during a May 2022 interview with British Vogue. "I do Wordle every day with my granddaughter," the royal confessed to the publication. "She’ll text me to say, 'I’ve done it in three,' and I say, 'Sorry, I’ve done it in two today.' It’s very satisfactory when it tells you how brilliant you are." S'cute!
Quick Q: Do Tom and Laura have royal titles now that Camilla is a queen?
In short: No, they don't! When King Charles ascended the throne, Camilla became a queen consort, though after her coronation she is now regarded as a full-on queen. But neither her children nor her grandchildren inherited any official titles because Camilla is connected to the royal family through marriage and not by blood. The more you know!
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This article originally appeared on Cosmopolitan.com. Minor edits have been made by the Cosmo.ph editors.