Skip to main content
King Charles, Camilla Parker Bowles, and Prince Harry look from the Buckinham Palace balcony in 2005
Royal family

Camilla Parker Bowles’ Son Defends Her Relationship with King Charles As Prince Harry Lashes Out in Court Documents

Camilla Parker Bowles is catching strays from Prince Harry in court, with Harry saying she and King Charles were only ever looking out for themselves. At the same time, her son is defending the king and queen consort's relationship.

Camilla Parker Bowles and her husband, King Charles III, have had nothing short of a tumultuous relationship since first meeting in the 1970s. Charles’ mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, reportedly did not see Camilla as fit to be queen, and therefore didn’t encourage Charles’ relationship with her. Of course, as history knows, Charles could never let go of Camilla, and despite marrying Princess Diana, he ultimately engaged in an affair with Camilla that led to their 2005 marriage.

Now, Camilla’s son has come to her defense, saying there was no “end game” for his mother and that she simply married the person “she loved.”

King Charles, Camilla Parker Bowles, and Prince Harry look from the Buckinham Palace balcony in 2005
King Charles, Camilla Parker Bowles, and Prince Harry in 2005 | Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images

King Charles’ family didn’t welcome his relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles

Prior to marrying Diana, Charles had fancied Camilla, but Queen Elizabeth wouldn’t have it. Camilla didn’t have the poise and status that the queen wanted for her son’s wife, as Charles was the future king. She supposedly wouldn’t let the relationship come to fruition, so Charles married Diana, with whom he had two sons. And once Charles and Camilla’s affair became public, William and Harry weren’t exactly welcoming to Camilla, either.

Harry revealed in his 2023 Spare memoir that he and his older brother, Prince William, “begged” their father not to marry Camilla and that they’d forgive her as long as he honored their request. Of course, he didn’t, and to this day, Harry appears to have resentment toward his step-mother, though he told Anderson Cooper in a 60 Minutes interview that he’s always “pleasant” toward her when he sees her.

King Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles stand and look confused in 1979
King Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles in 1979 | Tim Graham/Getty Images

Camilla Parker Bowles’ son came to his mother’s defense over her relationship with Charles

Thomas Parker Bowles, Camilla’s son, is tired of the narrative that her mother was after anything other than love when she married Charles. Camilla’s son recently defended his mother on the “News Agents” podcast, saying she only wanted Charles’ love.

“She’s our mother and I think change happens,” Parker Bowles said, according to Us Weekly.

“But I don’t care what anyone says; this wasn’t any sort of end game.” Bowles refuses to believe his mother wanted anything more than to be loved by Charles. “She married the person she loved, and this is what happened.” While Parker Bowles isn’t necessarily saying he condones his mother’s affair, he is saying that the perception of her just wanting to be queen is not true.

Camilla Parker Bowles sits next to her son, Thomas Parker Bowles, in 2014
Camilla Parker Bowles and her son, Thomas Parker Bowles, in 2014 | Samir Hussein/WireImage
Related

Prince Harry Says the Press Tried to ‘Ruin’ His Relationships in New Court Docs: ‘Every Woman Has Her Limit’

Tom Parker Bowles’ defense comes as Harry lashes out at Camilla and Charles in court docs

Thomas Parker Bowles’ defense of his mother comes at the same time that Prince Harry revealed in court documents that his father and step-mother were only ever concerned about protecting their own reputations.

“With hindsight, I now understand why staff at Clarence House were being so unhelpful and were seemingly blocking our every move … As they had a specific long term strategy to keep the media (including NGN) onside in order to smooth the way for my stepmother (and father) to be accepted by the British public as Queen Consort (and King respectively) when the time came, and anything that might upset the applecart in this regard (including the suggestion of resolution of our phone hacking claims) was to be avoided at all costs,” Harry’s statement read, according to Newsweek. Of course, Harry has been at odds with Charles and Camilla for years, so maybe it’s no surprise he’s alleging they had a relationship with the press in his court documents.