The world of celebrities is a vast one, but when it comes to the various ranking of celebrities, the British Royal family is right up there. However, how much does the world really know about these individuals?
There is a lot of information out there, but much of it is out there because they want it to be, while much of the more personal information is kept under royal wraps. For example, did you know that Princes William and Harry actually have a step-sister? Most of the world had no idea, and there is a reason she has been kept out of the spotlight until now.
The story of the current royal generation started in 1981 when Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer. Their extravagant wedding was widely acclaimed by members of the public, who considered, both the wedding and the relationship itself, to be the stuff of fairytales.
While to the outside world, Charles appeared to be a doting husband and real-life Prince Charming, this was not at all how it was. In reality, Charles was not totally focused on Diana; he had someone else in his heart. Charles had a hidden love that he had to shift his focus from as a result of his royal duties and in honour of his family’s wishes.
It was in the year 1971, that Prince Charles met Camilla Parker Bowles. The two connected instantly and started a relationship, which, initially was straight-forward and happy. However, this was not to last, complications arose and they were forced to separate after just a couple of years. Nonetheless, Camilla had won Charles’ heart and there would be no going back.
While they each went on to marry other people, they never lost the chemistry or feelings they had for one another. They could not ignore the connection that they always shared and it was about to cause even more drama for Charles.
The late Lady Diana was interviewed by the BBC in 1995, after her divorce from Prince Charles. During one of these interviews, she stated that “There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.”
Instead of playing the hurt wife and retreating into herself, Lady Diana stepped even further into the spotlight, instead focusing on the issues that really mattered to her in the world. She was not about to let her failed marriage bring her down.
During her marriage to Charles, Diana settled into her role as a Princess with ease and elegance. She loved being the Princess of the People and took her role as the Princess of Wales seriously, bringing new life and spark to the Royal family.
Diana threw herself into her charities and was a strong and committed leader, when it came to the issues that were dear to her. She became a pop culture icon with her star status, but it was the following task that was the most important one for the late Princess of Wales.
5. Hands-On Mother
There was nothing more important to Diana than her role as a mother to William and Harry. Diana redefined the role of Royal mother. She was as hands-on as any normal mother, ensuring that the care of her boys would not be constantly given over to nannies or various relatives.
Diana made sure that her schedule worked around her boys, and not the other way around. In fact, she managed to include William and Harry in her work where possible, as well as being the one to drop them off at school.
6. It Was Over
While Diana was able to fulfil her role as a devoted mother, her marriage to Charles was falling apart. By the mid-1990s, this particular Royal family was on the brink of disaster. Initially Diana and Charles simply separated, but this later resulted in an official divorce.
Their relationship was over and things were not looking at all positive, however, the worst was yet to come, not only for this Royal family, but also, for the nation and for the world as a whole. Tragedy beyond comprehension was looming and no one saw this coming, least of all Charles and the boys.
7. An Irreplaceable Loss
The world was stunned to learn that Diana had passed away. People from all over the world flocked to London to pay their respects to the Princess. The British public was beside itself and demonstrated their love for the princess and the grief that they were all feeling, by laying down flowers outside the gates of Buckingham Palace.
As you can see in this photo, there were thousands upon thousands of flowers that formed a five-foot thick carpet at the entrance to the palace. The sadness gripped the nation for weeks, as the public struggled to come to terms with what had happened.
The funeral held for the Princess was a distressing experience for the public, but especially for Diana’s family. Once the funeral was behind them, everyone in the Royal family gradually began working on the return to some form of normality, a new reality without Diana.
While the two boys did their best to keep going unhindered, their widowed father, Prince Charles, was about to do something that would completely shock the public, causing the entire world to turn to the head of the Royal family for some guidance.
9. New Start
It was in 2005 that the world learned that Prince Charles had moved on romantically and was not only seeing Camilla once again, but that the two were set to get married. Princes William and Harry were about to have a new stepmother.
The world was up in arms concerning this development, especially the British public, who painted a rather unflattering picture of Prince Charles and his treatment of Diana throughout their relationship, with Camilla always on the sidelines. The photo above is from their wedding that year, the moment Camilla became the Duchess of Cornwall.
The British public were of the opinion that Camilla was trying to take Diana’s place and this was not sitting well at all. This turn of events was also unbelievably difficult for the royal family. Things were different now and the family would have to show solidarity in order to make it work.
Being married to Camilla made Charles very happy and, as a result, made William and Harry happy, since they wanted their father to be happy. Camilla was also helpful in this transition, more than they ever thought she would be.
In 2005, Harry was the one to tell the press that, “She’s not the wicked stepmother. William and I love her to bits.” It was thanks to this comment and the passage of time that the British public finally started to accept Camilla.
12. Other Family
While the public was focused on Camilla herself joining the Royal family, there were very few who realised that Camilla actually had two children from her first marriage – a son and a daughter.
One of the two would step into the limelight without any problems, while the other had to work hard to remain in the background, unknown to the public. The latter were initially so focused on Camilla herself, that this went unnoticed for a substantial period of time.
13. Published Author
Camilla’s son, Tom Parker-Bowles, is a well known and well respected food critic and writer. He is a published author and has made a number of appearances on British television. He has published several books and has appeared on Masterchef, in addition to assisting Chef Gordon Ramsay with his television series, The F-Word.
While Tom has been in the spotlight without any problems, he has a sister that is far more secretive about her day-to-day life – many are unaware that Camilla even has a daughter. There is a valid explanation for this secrecy…
Camilla’s daughter’s name is Laura Lopes. She has remained out of the British spotlight and most Royal events. She has made an appearance at some of the larger, more important events, such as Royal weddings.
15. Cruel Paparazzi
Both Laura and Tom were just kids when Diana and Charles got married. However, the British press knew about Camilla being Charles’s first love and so they always kept a watchful eye on her, at times following her around.
This meant that Tom and Laura also frequently had to deal with the paparazzi. This was something that was extremely difficult for them growing up. This, inevitably, shaped their feelings towards the press as they got older. Tom handled things better than Laura did, she wanted to remain behind the curtain.
The public were unaware that, as Camilla’s family, years before she tied the knot with the Prince, they were forced to deal with the paparazzi outside their home, in their desperate attempt to capture a shot that would be worth something to the press.
They would even go to the extreme of chasing their car, something that was far too close to what happened to Diana to be comfortable for anyone. This constant threat that the paparazzi posed for the family began to take its toll.
17. Fighting Back
“They’re bullies, half of these people, and they made you very angry,” Tom explained in the Mail. “All I wanted to do was smack them in the face and beat the hell out of them. But you couldn’t do that.”
While Tom was open about his feelings and what he wanted to do to the photographers, Laura took an entirely different approach to it all. She, in no way, shared in her brother’s openness with the media.
Unlike her brother, Laura’s childhood caused her to retreat from the spotlight as much as she could. She knew that she was a target, so made the decision to withdraw from it all. There were, however, sacrifices that she had to make.
First and foremost, in order to make this kind of withdrawal possible, it meant that she needed to distance herself from her family, since they were in the public eye. Consequently, as long as they were around, she would not be able to avoid the paparazzi.
19. Thanking Her Children
Following her wedding to Charles, Camilla told the media that she would never be where she is today without the help of her family. She credits them for keeping her sane when the paparazzi was overbearing.
20. The Next Chapter
Thankfully, over the years the media scrutiny has calmed down, enabling Camilla and Prince Charles to live their lives without the constant criticism they once received, this is, for the most part, thanks to the new generation of Royals.
With both Prince William and Prince Harry married family men now, the media has moved on to discussing their wives and children. Let’s hope that this new generation of royals are better equipped to handle the pressures that come with the job. Lately, they appear to be doing just that.
