The stepsister of Prince William and Prince Harry may not capture as much
media attention as her famous siblings — but she did make waves for marrying a
former Calvin Klein model. This is the stunning transformation of Laura Lopes
Laura Lopes is the younger sister of Tom Parker Bowles, the oldest child and only
son of Camilla and Andrew Parker Bowles. Tom was born December 18, 1974, after his parents
had been married a little over one year, and his godfather just happens to be King Charles III.
This doesn't mean that Camilla was engaged in an extramarital affair with Charles at
the time — but it certainly means that Camilla and Charles remained close long
after their initial breakup. It also suggests that Charles' presence cast a shadow over the
Parker Bowles family from very early on and certainly throughout Laura Lopes' entire life.
Tom and Laura grew up in a luxurious estate in Wiltshire, a county in southern England. In 1995,
when their parents divorced, the two moved into a flat in Kensington, London,
using some of the cash proceeds of the liquidation of their parents' marital
estate. Tom is somewhat more in the public eye compared to his
sister because he is a published author and well-known food writer and critic.
"The fat's almost inedible. I mean, you'd need a chainsaw to cut through that fat."
At the wedding of Camilla Parker Bowles and then-Prince Charles of Wales in 2005,
Laura Lopes and her brother, Tom Parker Bowles, were seen cavorting with their
brand-new stepbrothers, Princes William and Harry. Laura apparently gets along
great with her stepbrothers, according to Town & Country. However, that was not always the case,
according to royal reporter and author Katie Nicholl. In her 2010 book, Harry and William,
Nicholl described how Laura and William had a very tense relationship. Nichol went on to add:
"[Laura and William] used to have terrible fights over who was to blame for their broken homes."
Apparently, William blamed Laura's mother, Camilla, for the suffering
that Camilla and Charles' affair brought to William's mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.
"Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded."
In turn, Laura would tell William that it was his father who was to blame for destroying her
family. At times, Charles was on the receiving end of Laura's outrage, according to Nicholl,
particularly when Charles telephoned the Parker Bowles family home. It mattered
not that she was talking to the future king of England. As far as Laura was concerned,
the royal family was nothing more than a hindrance to her family's happiness.
During the breakup of then-Prince Charles and Princess Diana's marriage, many took Diana's side.
Laura Lopes found herself unwittingly thrust into the position of being the daughter of, arguably,
the most famous and reviled "other woman" in the world. For Camilla, having Laura, Tom,
and the rest of her family behind her was a godsend. According to MSN, Camilla said:
"It was a terribly unpleasant time, and I wouldn't wish it on
my worst enemy. Without my family, I wouldn't have gotten through it."
What Camilla may not have realized at the time was how much of a toll her affair with Charles
might have taken on her children. As Charles and Camilla's respective marriages began crumbling
right before the public's eye, both Laura and Tom were students in grade school, and,
unfortunately, kids can be mean. As royal reporter and author Katie Nicholl wrote in her 2010 book,
Harry and William, both Laura and Tom were teased over their mother's affair with the prince.
By the time King Charles and Camilla, Queen Consort, married in a civil ceremony in 2005,
their extramarital affair had not been forgotten — and almost certainly never will be. However,
the fact that they were able to marry at all shows Queen Elizabeth's acceptance of the pair,
as royal marriages must be approved by the reigning monarch to be legitimate.
Although the late queen did not attend the ceremony for religious reasons,
she did host a lavish wedding reception for the new Duke and Duchess of Cornwall at Windsor
Castle. Among the guests were Camilla's children, Laura Lopes and Tom Parker Bowles. Charles' new
stepchildren were included in the official royal family portrait taken at the time.
In 2006, one year after Laura Lopes attended the wedding of her mother
to then-Prince Charles of Wales, she herself got married. Charles and Camilla,
as well as Princes William and Harry, attended Laura's wedding to Harry Marcus George Lopes.
Harry is a chartered accountant, which is comparable to a CPA in the U.S.
Harry, who reportedly modeled underwear for Calvin Klein in his youth, is descended from the wealthy
and prominent Astor family through his mother's side. He is also a descendant of the 2nd Baron
Roborough, Massey Henry Edgecumbe Lopes, through his father's side, according to The Peerage.
Some speculate that Laura's husband stands to inherit the title of baron,
which would mean that Laura would become a baroness. However, that is unlikely, as Harry's
late uncle inherited the title upon the death of the 2nd Baron. Nevertheless, Harry is a successful
accountant as well as a businessman. He is also the CEO of the solar company Eden Renewables.
After tying the knot in 2006, Laura and Harry Lopes went on to have three children. Eliza
was born in January 2008, according to People. As 2009 drew to a close, Laura gave birth to twins,
Gus and Louis, according to Town & Country. The twins are believed to be fraternal, as opposed to
identical. While it's not known publicly if Eliza was named after Queen Elizabeth, we do know that
Eliza was a bridesmaid for Catherine, Princess of Wales, in her 2011 wedding to Prince William.
"Just coming into sight. And a second kiss to delight the crowd."
Eliza, dressed in her white bridesmaid's dress and floral headpiece, could be seen
on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. There, she was held by her step-grandfather, King Charles,
and accompanied by her grandmother and other members of the royal family. Eliza was just
three at the time — the same age as her fellow bridesmaid, Grace van Cutsem, who famously
covered her ears when the royal planes flew overhead. While Eliza is not in the news often,
she did make headlines again in 2018. She was rushed to a hospital via airbus, according to
Mirror Online, although it's not clear why. When Charles married Camilla, Laura Lopes was not
only right there by her mother's side, but she was also seen happily interacting with members of the
royal family in numerous photos from the day's festivities. In an official wedding portrait,
she was pictured along with the late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip as well as her
royal stepbrothers. Nevertheless, Laura will not be given a royal title or otherwise styled as a
member of the royal family, despite her mother being queen consort, according to Page Six.
The reason is not personal to Laura. Rather, royal titles are bestowed only upon members of the royal
family and their spouses. While Camilla is a royal spouse, Laura Lopes is not. In addition,
Laura and her family will not be assigned Scotland Yard royal protection officers.
Security is assigned to senior members of the royal family as a matter of course. For
less prominent members of the royal family, security is assigned on an as-needed basis.
Laura Lopes cannot receive a royal title, but it's not as if she has
ever shown any particular interest in becoming a peer of the British monarch,
according to Thomas Mace-Archer-Mills, founder of the British Monarchists Society. Indeed,
if Laura had been interested in raising her profile via her relationship to the Crown,
she might have succeeded in doing so, according to Professor Judith Rowbotham,
an expert on royal affairs. However, that apparently was not her desire.
Nevertheless, Laura and her family may end up becoming more visible now at royal events.
Laura has also made numerous appearances with her mother over the years. However, her presence had
not been of much interest to the public until her mother became queen consort. In any case,
the absence of a royal title isn't indicative of a lack of warm feelings between Laura and
her stepfamily. In fact, as the managing editor of Majesty magazine told Page Six,
"There has long been a close friendship between Charles and his stepchildren
and step-grandchildren. There is definitely a bond there."
Among the various appearances that the queen consort's daughter has made at
important royal events, one of the most significant was on June 13, 2022. There,
her mother received the Royal Order of the Garter. It was during the ceremony that Queen Elizabeth
installed the then-Duchess of Cornwall as a Royal Lady of the Order of the Garter.
The service occurred at St. George's Chapel, near Windsor Castle. This title is bestowed
on individuals for their acts of public service, according to the royal family's official website.
Hello! Magazine reported that Laura Lopes arrived looking lovely in a bright blue dress and deep
blue fascinators. Also in attendance at the Garter Day were Catherine, who could be seen riding in a
carriage with Camilla, as well as with Prince William and then-Prince Charles. Presumably,
Catherine will likewise be installed as a Lady of the Order, at some future date.
Like her stepcousins-in-law, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie,
Laura Lopes has a fairly normal job. Much like Eugenie, in particular, Laura has made a career
for herself in the art world. After studying art history and marketing at the public university,
Oxford Brookes, from which she received her undergraduate degree, Laura traveled to Venice,
Italy. There she interned at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection and gained some
hands-on experience in gallery management, according to South China Morning Post.
In 2001, she briefly took a job with Tatler as its motoring correspondent, but then it was back to
the art world. Lopes became a gallery manager at The Space Gallery in London and, by 2005,
she had co-founded the Eleven Gallery, also in London. Eleven showcased emerging and established
artists, according to Laura's website. As of 2022, Lopes heads up exhibitions,
such as one that began in July 2022 featuring the British artist, Endellion Lycett Green.