Recently, coinciding with the 70th anniversary of her accession to the throne, the 95-year-old Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom announced that when Crown Prince Charles became king, she hoped that her daughter-in-law Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, would become queen, ending years of speculation about Camilla's future royal title after the queen announced her "sincere desire" to support Camilla as queen. But what does Camilla's becoming queen mean for her two children?
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and her ex-husband, Andrew Parker-Bowers, have two children, son Tom Parker-Bowers and daughter Laura Parker-Bowers Lopez. When Camilla married Crown Prince Charles in a notarial manner in 2005, the future king also became the stepfather of Camilla's two children. Although they are not strictly royals, when their mother Camilla becomes queen, Tom and Laura's status and duties are bound to change.
1) What does Camilla's title as queen mean for her children?
Camilla is considered very close to her children, and over the years, at royal events, she has often spoken about them and her beloved grandchildren and granddaughters. But Tom Parker-Powers and Laura López are not strictly royals, although their mother is a senior royal, and now, they are a waiting queen.
Earlier, in an interview with Good Morning Britain, Tom had said, "Honestly, he and his sister are not members of the royal family". He joked in 2019: "My mother married into the royal family, she was part of it, we were ordinary children, we just stood on the side. "Unlike Crown Prince Charles's sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, Tom and Laura have no place on the succession line. Since they were not born into the royal family, it is unlikely that Tom and Laura will hold a working position in the royal family when Charles is king.
Tom has his own successful career as a food writer and critic, and he also appears regularly on TV shows such as chefs. Similarly, Laura has largely not received much public attention, and she works in an art gallery.
What does becoming queen mean for Camilla's children? Or will they take on more royal responsibilities? Over the years, Tom and Laura also made public appearances with their mother and stepfather. For example, Camilla's granddaughter, Laura's daughter Eliza López, was the bridesmaid of Princess Kate and Prince William at their royal wedding in 2011. Thus, when Charles and Camilla become kings and queens, the public can see more of Laura and Tom and their respective children's appearances at royal events.
2. Can Charles give the title of royal to Camilla's child?
Although Tom and Laura are not members of the royal family, they will be the children of the future queen and the stepsons of the future king. So when Charles ascends the throne, he may decide to grant Tom and Laura new titles, such as making Tom a count or having Laura a countess. But Crown Prince Charles is said to have planned to slim down the royal family after he became king, so he may be reluctant to give more new royal titles after he succeeds to the throne.
What does becoming queen mean for Camilla's children? Charles may be crowned her children, and reports suggest that Laura could have earned titles of nobility anyway through her marriage to Harry López. Laura married Harry López in 2006 and is the grandson of the second-generation Baron Ofs of Robert, Messi López.