Andrew Parker Bowles might have moved on after his marriage to Queen Camilla, but is he still
cozying up with the royal family?
Andrew Parker Bowles has been connected with the royal family since childhood.
His father, Derek Parker Bowles, was friends with the Queen Mother, which is how Andrew
landed a role as a page in Queen Elizabeth II's coronation.
Andrew has also been connected to the royal family through King Charles for years, given
the two played polo together.
The former British Army officer was even in attendance when Charles married the late Princess
Diana in 1981.
He was the commanding officer of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment at the time.
Thus, one of his duties was to guard Charles and Diana's carriage.
Andrew might not have royal blood, but he's been there for many of the family's milestones.
Andrew Parker Bowles and Camilla's controversial marriage came to an end after they got divorced
in 1995.
As previously mentioned, Camilla had reportedly been having an affair with her now-husband
King Charles.
It’s also been speculated that Andrew was also seeing someone else throughout the marriage.
Outlets claim his mistress was Rosemary Parker Bowles, who he married just a year after divorcing
Camilla.
Rosemary and Andrew's relationship was a bit less publicized than a royal marriage, so
there is a lot about the couple that remains a mystery.
The world received a rare yet tragic update on the pair when it was revealed that Rosemary
died of cancer in January 2010.
She was 69 years old at the time and had been diagnosed years prior.
Rosemary was survived by her three kids.
Members of the royal family grieved her death alongside her children and husband.
Princess Anne was reportedly among those in attendance at her funeral.
She allegedly even comforted Andrew.
Outlets stated that Camilla also shared her condolences.
According to The Telegraph, she was saddened by Rosemary's death.
Although Andrew Parker Bowles and Queen Camilla are no longer together, Bowles isn't on bad
terms with the royal family.
"He was really charming."
In fact, he has represented a few family members at ceremonies on more than one occasion.
In October 2022, Andrew took Camilla's place at a relative's funeral.
According to the Daily Mail, one of Andrew's friends predicted he'd go on to attend many
more engagements for the royal family.
He told the tabloid,
"Andrew is happy to do anything he is asked.
He still enjoys a warm relationship with Camilla."
This assumption proved to be accurate because the retired British Army officer represented
Princess Anne at five separate events.
Andrew was even one of the many familiar faces in attendance at King Charles' coronation.
Queen Camilla allegedly began seeing King Charles while she and Andrew Parker Bowles
were still married.
While it's reasonable to assume that the two men aren't too fond of each other, they actually
have quite a longstanding friendship.
"He's a marvelous leader and a marvelous man."
In Prince Charles: The Passions and Paradoxes of an Improbable Life, author Sally Bedell
Smith also wrote about Charles and Andrew's relationship.
She shared that the friends played polo together.
They also appear to be more like family rather than just friends, because Andrew is the godfather
of Zara, Charles' niece.
Meanwhile, Charles' godson is Andrew's son, Tom.
It's no surprise that the royal family likes to keep Andrew around when you hear just how
fond they are of him.
Friend of the royals, Marchioness of Lansdowne, spoke to The Sunday Times about Andrew and
his friendship with Camilla, saying,
"Everybody loves Andrew.
He's a real charmer but he's always terribly misbehaving.
Andrew will ring her up and tell her when she's got something wrong, and she'll ring
him up and say when he's misbehaving.
Through adversity, they've kept a really good family ethic.
It helps with their children and grandchildren."
These days, Andrew Parker Bowles seems to spend much of his time standing in for members
of the royal family at events and enjoying his life as a retiree, but the father of two
was once an accomplished member of the British Army.
Andrew eventually became a Brigadier and served in various units throughout his time in the
army.
He was also reportedly one of the first to arrive at the scene of the UK's Hyde Park
Bombing in 1982.
The tragic terrorist attack targeted the Queen's Life Guard.
Four people were killed, as well as seven horses.
"One of the worst IRA atrocities in Britain."
Andrew's courageousness eventually earned him The Queen's Commendation for Bravery in
Rhodesia in 1980.
He also served as the Director of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps.
Army accolades aside, it seems that Andrew has a strong passion for working with animals,
because he later became an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Veterinary College, an Honorary
Associate of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, and an Honorary Member of the British
Veterinary Association.
Andrew Parker Bowles and Camilla welcomed two kids during their marriage.
Their kids, Tom Parker Bowles and Laura Lopes, have taken two different approaches to navigating
life with high-profile parents.
Tom isn't afraid of the spotlight.
In fact, he's a rather notable food writer.
Tom has authored cookbooks and snagged awards over the course of his career.
The food critic's not-so-reserved nature apparently reached extremes in his younger years.
He told Stellar in 2017,
"I was naughty, partied a bit hard.
When I was younger I got sacked all the time.
But I loved eating and could just about string a sentence together, so I thought I could
write about food."
In addition to speaking out about his controversial past, Tom has also shared his thoughts on
his parents' own controversies.
He spoke about his mother's decision to move on with King Charles during an interview on
The News Agents podcast in April 2023.
"This wasn't any sort of endgame.
She married the person she loved, and this is what happened."
As for Lopes, she lives a bit of a more private life.
She is an art curator who helped found a fine art gallery in 2005.
In 2006, she tied the knot with former model Harry Lopes; the couple are now parents to
three children.