King Charles has extended invitations to the children and grandchildren of his wife Queen Camilla for Christmas this year.
Tom Parker Bowles and Laura Lopes are the children of Camilla and Andrew Parker Bowles, the Queen’s first husband.
Laura Lopes, 45, is the youngest of Camilla and Andrew‘s children, and keeps a much lower profile than her brother, having attended Oxford Brookes University, studying History of Art and Marketing.
Laura married former Calvin Klein model-turned-chartered accountant in 2006, in a ceremony that included Prince William and Prince Harry on the guestlist. The couple have three children together – daughter Eliza, and twin sons Gus and Louis.
Her older brother is Tom Parker Bowles, but who is he? Here’s everything we know about Tom Parker Bowles.
Tom Parker Bowles, 48, is the eldest born son of Camilla and Andrew, and the older brother of gallery director Laura Lopes.
He was born December 18, 1974 in London, and grew up in Wiltshire, at the picturesque Bolehyde Manor, and later Middlewick House.
As a youngster, Tom attended Summer Fields School, a fee-paying boarding school for boys, which still exists today. He later attended Eton College, where the likes of Boris Johnson, David Cameron and Prince William have all been educated.
He would later secure a place at Oxford University, though his passion for food writing would only come after he graduated, and upon finishing his studies he set about media publications for work.
His first step into the media world came as a junior publicist for Dennis Davidson Associates, a PR firm back in 1993. This work paid off in 2001, when Tom managed to land a role at Tatler magazine.
Tom has been a columnist, food writer and broadcaster since 2002, and serves as a restaurant critic at the Mail on Sunday and food editor at Esquire.
Tom is also the author of a number of cookbooks. His work has led to multiple appearances on hit BBC food show MasterChef.
As for his personal life, Tom was married to fashion writer Sara Buys from 2005 to 2018, and the couple had two children together – Freddy Parker Bowles and Lola Parker Bowles.
Though the couple are no longer together, Sara Buys continues to maintain a close relationship with the Parker Bowles family.
Tom Parker Bowles will mark his first Christmas with the royals this year in Sandringham, with his children also welcomed. His food expertise may end up working out as an added bonus for Christmas dinner this year.
