Joining King Charles, Queen Camilla, Princess Anne, and other members of the British royal family on the first day of Royal Ascot today included Camilla’s two children from her first marriage: Tom Parker Bowles and Laura Lopes. While neither were in the royal procession (instead, Queen Camilla’s nephew, Ben Elliot, sat in one of the carriages), both Tom and Laura were subsequently spotted in the Royal Box at Ascot watching the races alongside their mother.
Mark Cuthbert//Getty Images
Queen Camilla and her son.
Mark Cuthbert//Getty Images
Lopes in the Royal Box.
Despite their mom being Queen, Parker Bowles and Lopes are not members of the royal family. On a podcast interview earlier this year, Parker Bowles joked about why he doesn’t ever want to be a prince after the host, Samuel Goldsmith, said to him, “If my mum became Queen, I’d be like, ‘I want to be a prince.’” Parker Bowles replied, “I’d tell you that would be the quickest way to revolution. I think we’re fairly balanced and sober and sensible country on the whole, but if I suddenly became prince, I think Buckingham Palace gates would be stormed. It would be appalling. Really, no…I think that would put back the long and glorious cause of the monarchy in Britain by many years, no.”
On the eve of King Charles and Queen Camilla’s coronation in May 2023, Parker Bowles revealed, “I think anyone would be anxious on an occasion of this sort of importance in terms of the historical. And yes, I think I’d be terrified if I had to sort of walk out wearing ancient robes. She’s 75, but you know, it’s tough to do it. But she’s never complained. You just do it. Get on with it.”
He also said, “She’s still our mother. I say ‘our’ but not the royal ‘we’—speaking for my sister and me. She’s our mother.”
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Deputy Digital Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, celebrities, the royals, and a wide range of other topics. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Instagram, Twitter, and other social media platforms.