Tom Parker Bowles’ book tour has been so odd. The only reason why people aren’t calling him out more is that, by a happy coincidence, James Middleton released his dog-centric memoir at the same time and James’s book tour was even weirder. But still, Tom is shilling Cooking and the Crown (a very royal-adjacent cookbook) by talking up his stepfather, King Charles, and blatantly lying about his mother. Tom actually said, with a straight face, that Queen Camilla “hardly drinks” and he’s “never seen her so much as tipsy.” More problematic than those hilarious lies are Tom’s statements about how close he is to Charles and how Charles is a doting grandfather… to his stepkids’ children. I’m surprised the palace hasn’t quietly had a word with Tom to say less about Charles’s hands-on grandfather energy with Camilla’s grandkids and not his own. Speaking of, Tom gave yet another exclusive to People Mag and he brings it up again, how close he is to Charles and how Charles adores Camilla’s grandkids. Some highlights:
Charles knows his greengage: Charles, 75, may skip lunch, but he’s a passionate advocate for food and farming, someone who “can tell the difference between 10 types of greengage,” Parker Bowles tells PEOPLE, referring to the small, plum-like fruit.
Royal tea time is 5 p.m. “It’s of primary importance. It’s not just a cup of tea—it’s an entire meal. There are sandwiches, two different kinds of cake, scones, biscuits, shrimp and eggs.”
His kids love Camilla & Charles: His children have grown up close to “Gaga and Uppa,” their affectionate names for Camilla and Charles. “They adore her,” he says. “They adore the King too. He has been a wonderful step-grandfather.” [Charles] often surprises them with gifts of their favorite German cookies, Langenburger Wibele, packaged in a signature green box.
Charles spent a lot of time with Camilla’s grandkids: “He is such a good, nice man. He has his own grandchildren, obviously. The children utterly adore him. From an early age, he’s read them stories, been there, and swung them around.”
Tom on his mother: As for his mother, he is “incredibly proud of her,” as she supports her husband the King through both his cancer and their public work. “She’s at an age when most people think of retiring, but she never complains; she just gets on with it.”
As several commenters pointed out, it’s not unusual for a divorced man to suddenly become much closer to his second wife’s children and, in this case, her grandchildren. Charles has always been obsessed with Camilla and everything around her. He sees her kids and grandkids as an extension of Camilla. And I would assume that’s why he has such horrible relationships with his own sons and grandkids – because he sees them as an extension of Diana. Still, Tom’s whole promotional tour has been one big YIKES about Charles’s interfamily dynamics. Charles buys German cookies for his step-grandkids, all while evicting his mixed-race grandkids from their British home.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.