With only two months to go until King Charles’ official coronation, plans are well under way (and slowly being leaked) for the big day.
According to a source for The Times, the Queen Consort will break from tradition by having her five grandchildren Lola and Eliza, both 15, Freddy, 13, and twins Louis and Gus, also 13, play a major role in the ceremony. Usually performed by duchesses and considered one of the most sacred parts of the coronation, the grandchildren have reportedly been asked to hold a canopy over Camilla as she is anointed with holy oil on May 6.
This is despite her teenage grandchildren being the offspring of Camilla’s son Tom Parker Bowles and daughter Laura Lopes from her previous marriage to British Army officer Andrew Parker Bowles, meaning there is no blood relation to the late Queen Elizabeth II. However the royal insider explained to The Times: “The Queen Consort has said she does not want duchesses. She would like it to be her grandchildren.”
Although historically Camilla’s side of the family have been kept out of the spotlight, that might soon change. They were invited to spend Christmas with the Royal Family at Sandringham House in Norfolk for the first time last year, with a source telling the Sun: “Camilla is keen her family are at the heart of Christmas, particularly as Charles won’t have his youngest son there.” Royal sources say the pair want to get them involved to reflect how close the couple are with them and their blended family life.
The Queen Consort is so close to the children that she’s hardly ever seen without a gold pendant necklace engraved with the letters ‘L’, ‘F’, ‘G’, ‘L’ and ‘E’ for Lola, Freddy, Gus, Eliza and Louis. The grandchildren reportedly have the cute nicknames “Umpa” and “GaGa” for Charles and Camilla respectively.
Get to know ‘L’, ‘F’, ‘G’, ‘L’ and ‘E’ below...
Lola Parker Bowles, 16
Lola, who recently celebrated turning sweet 16, is Camilla’s eldest granddaughter and the daughter of Tom Parker Bowles and his ex-wife Sara Buys. In a 2022 interview with Vogue, Camilla revealed that she plays Wordle every day with Lola.
“She’ll text me to say, ‘I’ve done it in three’, and I say, ‘Sorry, I’ve done it in two today.’ It’s very satisfactory when it tells you how brilliant you are!”
Camilla also explained that she is well-versed in the art of teenagedom. “The girls are beginning to get into clothes and make-up and, you know, it’s rather frightening when you see them, coming out with pierced ears and a lot of new make-up and funny-coloured hair and stuff."
Eliza Lopes, 15
Eliza is the eldest daughter of Laura and Harry Lopes. Born only a year after Lola in 2008, royal family fans might remember Eliza as a bridesmaid from Prince William and Kate Middleton’s 2011 wedding, where the then-Prince Charles was seen picking her up to get a better view of the enormous crowd.
In an interview with the Daily Mail to commemorate her 75th birthday, she told how she loved to buy books for Eliza as Christmas gifts.
"I have a granddaughter that’s very into Philip Pullman and she’s been through His Dark Materials so I think I got her La Belle Sauvage and the twin boys, one I got Dracula and the other I put on to Lord of the Rings…so those are the children’s books," she said.
Louis and Gus Lopes, 14
The younger brothers of Eliza, the twins were born in 2009 to Laura and Harry Lopes. They were not present at the 2011 royal wedding but Camilla told British Vogue that they always keep tabs on her. "It’s very nice getting a text,” she said. “We learn from very young people and they learn from us, too. That’s the way it’s always been."
She also said in the Daily Mail interview that the twins introduced her to Houseparty during the pandemic. This was a popular app that allowed up to eight people to speak at a time on video, as well as TikTok.
Freddy Parker Bowles, 12
The youngest child of Tom Parker Bowles and Sara Buys, Freddy has yet to attend any official royal engagements.
Most recently, Freddy was seen attending an Abba Voyage concert with Camilla and her other four grandchildren.
