The Queen Consort will be crowned alongside her husband, King Charles III, at the highly anticipated coronation ceremony on 6 May.
The royal, 75, is expected to be crowned Queen instead of Queen Consort after the coronation, with the coronation edition of the Bible reportedly dropping the title in its commemoration message.
As the nation prepares for the major ceremony – the UK’s first coronation since the late Queen Elizabeth II’s in 1953 – many people are interested in learning more about the new monarch’s wife and her family tree.
Camilla Parker-Bowles was born into an aristocratic family and has long been linked to the royal family – way before she even met King Charles.
Her parents were wealthy aristocrats, with her grandfather being a baron, and she first married Andrew Parker Bowles, another member of the aristocracy with close ties to the royal family.
Here is everything we know about Camilla’s family tree.
Camilla’s parents
The Queen Consort’s mother was Rosalind Cubitt, daughter of Roland Cubitt, the third Baron Ashcombe, while her father was Major Bruce Shand, an officer in the British Army.
Roland Cubitt was the grandson of George Cubitt, first Baron Ashcombe, who was a British politician and peer. His father was Thomas Cubitt, a famous London property developer who is credited as one of the most accomplished master builders in the 18th century.
In fact, Thomas’ most impressive work was on Buckingham Palace. He was responsible for the east front of the palace, which includes the famous balcony where members of the royal family stand and wave at crowds during important events.
Camilla’s father was a decorated war hero, after he became a prisoner of war while in Egypt in 1942. Bruce was captured and taken to Germany, but was eventually liberated in 2945.
Upon his return to England, he retired from the army due to his wounds making him unfit for active service and married Rosalind a year later.
Camilla’s siblings
Camilla has two younger siblings, including sister Annabel and brother Mark.
Annabel founded her own company, Annabel Elliot Interior design and antiques, which is based in Dorset. She is also the co-founder of Talisman, an antiques and interiors emporium based in Gillingham.
She is the chief interior designer of King Charles’ estates, having worked on the Duchy of Cornwall estates, holiday cottages at Restormel Castle in Cornwall, and the monarch’s Llwynywermod estate in Wales.
Mark was a travel writer and conservationist. He authored four books and made appearances in documentaries about his travels, particularly his passion for elephant conservation.
He died unexpectedly in 2014 after sustaining a head injury caused by a fall while in New York City. He was taken to Bellevue Hospital, but died that same day.
Camilla’s first husband
Brigadier Andrew Henry Parker Bowls and Camilla married on 4 July 1973. Prior to their relationship however, Andrew dated the Princess Royal for several years while Camilla sparked a romance with Charles but it did not last at the time.
Andrew’s father was good friends with the Queen Mother, but it was said that his and Princess Anne’s relationship was not “very serious” because he was Catholic.
His parents were Derek Henry Parker Bowles, a great-grandson of Thomas Parker, sixth Earl of Macclesfield, and Anne Parker Bowls, daughter of multimillionaire racehorse owner Sir Humphrey de Trafford, fourth Baronet.
Although Andrew famously had numerous affairs, the former couple had two children together. They divorced in 1995.
He went on to marry Rosemary Pitman in 1996 until her death in 2010. Together, they attended the wedding of Charles and Camilla in 2005.
Camilla’s children
Camilla shares two children with Andrew, Tom and Laura Parker Bowles.
Tom is a well-known food writer and critic, and regularly writes columns for The Mail on Sunday, as well as for GQ and Esquire.
He has authored seven cookbooks and won the Guild of Food Writers 2020 award for his writing.
In 2005, he married Sara Buys, senior editor of Town & Country magazine, in a ceremony at St Nicholas’ Anglican Church in Oxfordshire. They share daughter Lola and son Frederick, and separated in 2018.
He then dated former journalist Alice Procope from 2019 until 2021, when she died seven months after being diagnosed with cancer.
Laura is an English art curator. She previously managed The Space Gallery in Belgravia, London, and also became the co-founding partner and gallery director of the Eleven gallery.
She is married to chartered accountant Harry Marcus George Lopes, with whom she shares three children.
They married in 2006 at St Cyriac’s Church in Wiltshire. The bride wore a dress by Anna Valentine, who designed Camilla’s dress for her wedding to Charles.
Camilla’s grandchildren
Camilla has a total of five grandchildren. Lola, 15, and Freddy, 12, Parker Bowles are Tom’s children, while Eliza, 15, Louis and Gus, both 14, Lopes are Laura’s.
The Queen Consort’s grandchildren do attend family events and occasions, but are rarely seen in the spotlight in comparison to Charles’ grandchildren.
However, it has been reported that her grandchildren may play a key role in the forthcoming coronation.
The Sunday Times reported last month that Camilla has asked that her grandchildren hold the canopy over her. While this would be an unprecedented move, it would reflect the realities of a modern blended family.
