Camilla’s grandkids will have role at coronation
Family will come first at the upcoming coronation of King Charles III as the five grandchildren from Camilla, Queen Consort’s first marriage will make their debut in the global spotlight.
“This coronation is getting more interesting by the minute,” royal historian Hugo Vickers told the Sunday Times of London.
Camilla’s grandchildren, who are not official members of the royal family, have been deliberately shielded from the spotlight by their parents, Tom Parker Bowles and Laura Lopes.
But in a significant break with precedent, all five — Lola Parker Bowles, age 15; Freddy Parker Bowles, 13; Eliza Lopes, 15; and twins Louis and Gus Lopes, 13 — will be at their grandmother’s side for the most sacred part of the May 6 coronation ceremony.
The teens will hold a canopy over Camilla’s head as she is anointed with holy oil — a role previously performed by duchesses, titled members of the British aristocracy.
“The Queen Consort has said she does not want duchesses,” a Buckingham Palace source said. “She would like it to be her grandchildren.”
The featured roles for members of the king and queen’s blended family are part of a ceremony that “will reflect the monarch’s role today and look towards the future, while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry,” the palace has said.
The teens enjoy a close relationship with “GaGa,” their affectionate nickname for the 75-year-old queen consort, and with Charles — who married Camilla in 2005 before they were born.
“The King has always been so close to his step-grandchildren, and the queen has told me how he would read ‘Harry Potter’ to them and do impersonations of the different characters,” a source close to Charles and Camilla said.
But apart from Eliza’s appearance at age 3 as a flower girl in the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, they have kept a low public profile.
In another break with tradition, the coronation may also include a prominent role for 9-year-old Prince George, William’s son, who follows him as the next in line for the throne.
Previously, the monarch’s young heirs — including Charles, who was just 4 when his mother Queen Elizabeth was crowned in 1953 — have merely watched the ceremony from the congregation.
“It’s a lovely idea to involve their own family members,” Vickers said. “It is all part of the inclusivity of the family and strengthens their bonds.”
Royal sources insist that Charles’ younger son, Prince Harry, and his wife, Meghan Markle, will be on the coronation guest list, despite their fractured relationship with the rest of the royal family — but have not yet confirmed that the pair and their toddler children, Archie and Lilibet, will attend.