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Queen Camilla's son has never joined her for the royal family's Christmas celebration at Sandringham and opened up about the “various reasons” as to why. Take a look inside their mother-son relationship and their unique blended family.
Queen Camilla and King Charles's highly publicized relationship not only united them in the end but brought together two families, including her son, Tom Parker-Bowles.
Tom has spoken openly about their unique blended family, yet he revealed that, for “various reasons,” he has never joined the royal family for their Christmas celebration at Sandringham. Take a glimpse at his relationship with Queen Camilla and what he had to say about her and their blended family.
Charles and Camilla's Journey to Marriage and Their Unique Blended Family
King Charles and Queen Camilla's relationship has been one of the most scrutinized royal romances, spanning decades of controversy. Their relationship traces back to the early 1970s when they met and formed an instant bond.
Despite their deep connection, royal duties and social expectations kept them apart, leading both into separate marriages. However, their affection never faded. Their story took a more public turn in the 1990s, when revelations about their affair made headlines, casting both in a critical spotlight.
In 1992, the release of Andrew Morton's “Diana, Her True Story” exposed the intimate details of King Charles's relationship with Camilla. She became the target of intense media scrutiny, facing public criticism and hateful backlash.
The following year, a scandalous leak of personal phone conversations between the King and Queen further fueled the media frenzy, tarnishing their reputations. However, despite the hardships, Queen Camilla's loyalty to King Charles remained unwavering.
According to journalist Penny Junor, the Queen reportedly told a friend, “It's wonderful to be loved.” Both eventually divorced their respective partners, and the royal family began carefully reintroducing Queen Camilla to the public.
While the public's opinion was divided, King Charles remained determined to have her by his side. In 2005, eight years after Princess Diana's death, His Majesty and Queen Camilla married in a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall.
However, not all family members embraced the marriage wholeheartedly. Prince Harry and Prince William reportedly pleaded with their father to reconsider marrying Camilla, feeling a sense of loyalty to their late mother.
Royal expert and author Christopher Andersen revealed, “They pleaded with their father not to marry her and only grudgingly agreed to go along with the charade if Charles kept his promise not to make her queen.”
“That title would have gone to Diana if Camilla hadn't broken up their parents' marriage. When Charles broke that promise, William and Harry felt betrayed,” he added.
Queen Elizabeth II, however, chose not to attend, given her role as head of the Church of England, which traditionally discourages remarriage after divorce.
Despite the family's initial misgivings, Queen Camilla soon proved herself to be an asset to the monarchy. Since their wedding, the King and Queen have built a blended family, bringing together King Charles's sons and Queen Camilla's two children, Laura Lopes and Tom.
Introducing Tom Parker-Bowles and His Relationship with the Queen
Tom has built a career as a food writer and critic, carving out a name independent of his royal connections. For over two decades, he contributed to the culinary world, sharing insights through restaurant critiques, cookbooks, and food columns.
His latest work, “Cooking and the Crown: Royal Recipes from Queen Victoria to King Charles III,” offered a blend of royal and personal recipes.
Tom credited Queen Camilla's influence and his countryside upbringing for inspiring his love of food, recalling her simple yet flavorful meals, like roast chicken and game dishes, which shaped his palate.
Despite his connection to the royal family, Tom generally avoids publicizing his ties. As a self-described “middle-aged nepo boy,” he prefers to keep his culinary work distinct from his mother's role.
However, reflecting on his childhood, he recalled the intense scrutiny Queen Camilla faced in the 1990s when her relationship with King Charles became public, and how protective he felt as she endured relentless paparazzi attention.
Despite the challenges, Tom's respect for his mother only grew. “She has always been – and this is not just PR – such a good mother,” he said. In recent years, he has spoken candidly about the dynamics of their blended family with King Charles and his sons, embracing a modern approach to family ties.
“We live in 2024 and blended families – it's a little bit different from the days of Victoria and Edward. If they’re happy then we're happy and that's where it all starts from,” Tom stated.
His own family life also drew public attention, especially during His Majesty's coronation, where Tom's son Freddy took part in the ceremony as a page. Tom shares two children, including his daughter Lola, with ex-wife Sara Buys. The pair separated in 2018 and finalized their divorce in 2022.
“I'm divorced, but you get on with your ex-wife for the sake of the children, that’s what matters. My priority is to make sure my children are happy and safe and comfortable – just like any other divorced father,” he revealed.
Freddy and Lola enjoy a close bond with Gaga and Uppa, whom they affectionately call Queen Camilla and King Charles, seeing them not just as royal figures but as beloved family. “They adore her. They adore the King too. He has been a wonderful step-grandfather,” he said.
However, in October, he admitted to catching up on his mother's activities through news updates. Known to stick to an old Nokia phone for security reasons, Queen Camilla reportedly missed out on family group chats and did not answer Tom's calls.
Why Tom Parker-Bowles Spends Christmas Away from the Royals
Though Tom shares close ties with his mother and King Charles, he has yet to join the royal family's traditional Christmas celebrations at Sandringham. Despite public curiosity and past rumors suggesting he might attend, Tom made it clear that he and his children celebrated separately.
He described his family as “married in” to the royals, maintaining a respectful but distinct boundary. “We are not the royal family – I've never for one second said that,” he firmly stated.
Tom explained that his work commitments and his children's schooling often kept him from spending Christmas at Sandringham. “I haven't been to Christmas yet for various reasons,” he added.
However, their holiday traditions took place later, with Queen Camilla joining her children and ex-husband Andrew Parker-Bowles for a post-Christmas gathering.
“My mother and father are still great friends and we will go down on December 27 and my mother will sometimes come. It is something to work towards,” Tom said.
“It's a maturity that is a great thing if — despite a marriage sometimes not working – you can keep it together for the sake of the children and the sake of each other then it's a very good thing[sic],” he continued.
As for his admiration for the King and Queen's strength during the latter's health struggles, Tom reflected on His Majesty's battle with cancer and said, “The King is strong. It's a terrifying disease, and when someone close to you gets it in whatever capacity, it's a very worrying thing.”
Tom added, “But my mother is strong as well. She supports him in every way. I think it's wonderful to have someone you love by your side.”
Tom has built a life that, while connected to royalty, remains uniquely his own. While he spends Christmas apart from the royal family for various reasons, he seemingly remains close to his mother, highlighting a relationship that thrives amid their blended family's distinct dynamics.
