The thing you always have to remember is that the British royal family and the British aristocracy are incredibly incestuous. They’ve all slept together, they all live in the same places, they all go to school together, and after they’ve screwed around with each other for decades, their children get married and the whole cycle starts again. That’s what I was reminded of when I looked for photos of Andrew Parker Bowles, the first husband of the current queen consort. Camilla was married to Andrew Parker Bowles from 1973 through 1995. Andrew didn’t mind the fact that his wife was banging Charles throughout their marriage. That was simply de rigueur for that time and that class. Even as Camilla carried on with Charles, she reportedly had a warm, happy marriage to Andrew, and they only divorced because the full scale of her affair was exposed. As a divorced couple, Andrew and Camilla are still reportedly quite close. Andrew always remained close to the Windsors as a whole, and as you can see from these photos, he still spends time with Princess Anne (his former lover). Andrew is apparently still so close to Camilla that he’s now tasked with “representing” her at the funerals of their friends.
As Harry and Meghan are 5,000 miles away in California, and Prince Andrew is banned from polite society, the King’s vision of a ‘slimmed-down’ monarchy is looking too skinny. So step forward a new member of ‘The Firm’.
I can reveal that Brigadier Andrew Parker Bowles carried out his first royal duty on behalf of the Queen Consort on Tuesday. He formally represented his ex-wife at a funeral — and friends claim it could be the first engagement of many.
‘Andrew is happy to do anything he is asked,’ one of his friends tells me. ‘He still enjoys a warm relationship with Camilla.’
The news was recorded in the Court Circular, the official record of royal engagements.
‘The Queen Consort was represented by Brigadier Andrew Parker Bowles,’ it says of his attendance at the funeral of John Bowes-Lyon at the London Oratory. Bowes-Lyon, who died last month aged 80, was a second cousin of the late Queen.
Formally representing Camilla meant Parker Bowles, 82, was given a prominent pew at the Roman Catholic church.
If you look at Andrew Parker Bowles’s story from Camilla’s perspective, he might seem like a pitiful figure, giving up his wife to the heir to the throne. But the truth is that Andrew cheated on Camilla constantly and that his wandering eye was a big reason why Camilla pursued and maintained the affair with Charles so thoroughly. Before Tina Brown got coopted by the palace machinery, she always maintained that Andrew – not Charles – was the one Camilla always wanted. Anyway, I doubt this is anything more than an ex-wife asking her former husband to go their mutual friend’s funeral.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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- Princess Anne, the Princess Royal and Andrew Parker Bowles attend Cheltenham Racecourse on Gold Cup Day.13 March 2009. Picture by /,Image: 542492570, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Photoshot – sales@photoshot.com London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Florida: +1 239 689 1883 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Anwar Hussein / Avalon
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- CAMILLA and ANDREW PARKER BOWLES enjoy a day at the races – Date: 07.06.1992. Ref: B115_083601_0980. COMPULSORY CREDIT: Alan Davidson / Bandphoto / UPPA/Photoshot. All rights reserved,Image: 559914192, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: FEE PAYABLE UPON REPRODUCTION Universal Pictorial Press & Agency 29-31 Saffron Hill, London. EC1N 8SW Tel: +44 (0)20 7421 6000, Model Release: no, Credit line: Bandphoto / UPPA / Avalon
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- HRH Princess Anne with her hausband Timothy Laurence and Andrew Parker Bowles seen at Cheltenham Racecourse for day 3, St Patrick’s day, Cheltenham, UK,Image: 671436687, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: JULES ANNAN / Avalon
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- HRH Princess Anne with Andrew Parker Bowles seen at Cheltenham Racecourse for day 3, St Patrick’s day, Cheltenham, UK,Image: 671436959, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: JULES ANNAN / Avalon
Well this is a plot twist I did not see coming!
Andrew Parker-Bowles seems to get on with everyone. Andrew Parker-Bowles was also quite close to Anthony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowden as well Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother.
@Bay, that may be true, but see Becks’ comment below mine. The man could be friendly with whoever, but it’s ludicrous for him to be “performing a royal duty” on behalf of Camilla.
They are REALLY scraping the bottom of the barrel to keep that Court Circular from being full of empty pages.
ETA how rude to count someone’s funeral as “work”
@Lorelei – I was only trying to make the point that Andrew Parker-Bowels is VERY imbedded in the British Aristocracy and appears to be well like by said British Aristocracy.
I agree with you that it is rude to count someone’s funeral as “work”.
@Lorelai It’s common practice, I guess. Apparently Kate counted Philip’s funeral and giving birth to her children as work events. Which, regarding the latter, she might have a point.
It’s about getting him into the Royal vault to selience him. It’s to get ahead of things that can be damaging to C and or C&C.
Expect more of this kind of nepotism assignments from people from C&C’s circle.
We’ll start seeing her children pop up within the year, I bet.
Mr Cuckold-Balls needs no silencing at all. Indeed, his perfect command and acceptance of the artistocratic code of spouse sharing have turned him into a valuable asset of the monarchy for the best part of 5 decades. The RF appreciate and respect him.
The problem arose when Diana refused to comply with the aristo community-spouse concept. She had a moral compass and was made to pay the price for it. Mr Cuckold-Balls was never offended by his wife’s affair, which he regarded as a conjugal upgrade and social legitimation of his own good taste 🤫.
@sugarhere I’m certain the spouse sharing continues. Anyone who thinks Charles or Camilla are mutually exclusive to each other is living in fantasy.
To @ baytampabay. Interesting that Andrew is so well liked and accepted in aristocratic circles. That means that during their marriage, Camilla was a beneficiary of his access to his “set”. That explains a lot about who is behind getting her accepted by the general public. She has been aristo adjacent most of her life.
@Julia K I’m pretty sure that is why Alice Keppel’s husband turn a blind eye on her being King’s favourite mistress. CMIIW, but Alice Keppel and her family’s rose to prominent in the English aristocracy is due to her status as mistress to the king
Why on earth is this is the Court circular? The Queen consort called up her ex and said “hi I can’t make this funeral, are you going? Can you convey my sympathy ?” And now it counts as a royal work engagement? For Camilla? For APB? How ridiculous.
Everything seems to be slowly becoming a circus with the BaRF. It’s like Liz and Philip die and the kids are having a free for all – LITERALLY. Or maybe the messiness is being exposed more now. Hmmmm.
@Seraphina, what’s amazing to me is how little time it took! It’s been, what, about six weeks? And things are already completely off the rails with multiple members of the family. Incredible.
@Lorelei, it’s been one whole Truss. And all of it is absolutely fascinating to me.
😀
It seems bizarre to me
Exactly my thoughts. What a joke.
Hahahahaha @Ripley, or as Kaiser would immortally say, one full menstrual cycle!
@Becks: If a member of the Royal Family can’t attend a funeral, they send a representative. The Queen used to send her ladies in waiting a lot and it was recorded in the court circular. So, it’s nothing new for Camilla.
Well that makes somewhat more sense, although its still weird she sent her ex husband and not a lady in waiting or the equivalent, lol.
Thanks for the explanation (and it makes sense).Amy Bee but, I’m not entirely convinced this is as innocent as it should appear. I know I’m probably wearing a “Tin Foil Tiara” but, why not send a Lady in waiting? Surely, Camilla knew this would raise eyebrows?
@amybee exactly. He’s stood in for Camilla and Anne before when he was already going to the funeral. That’s the key. Plus John was his first cousin. Charles had a separate representative.
@Becks
Exactly! The whole point of them being “royal” is that we can trace their ancestry (and therefore their right to rule) through history. We hear all sorts of nonsense about the “blue blood” and the importance of “royal blood.” Remember the headlines about how Meghan’s children would “taint” the bloodline? Now it would seem that any old Tom, Dick or Harry (well not all Harrys’) can be classed as “royal” if the King and/or his Queen Consort tells us so.
Believe me when I say this is the thin end of the wedge. This has given William Carte Blanche to allow any (or all) of the Middletons to stand in for him. They will be allowed to lord it over us and be treated like royalty when a true royal has been ostracised and forced out of the country of his birth.
I’m seething over this. Yes I know H&M are happy living “Overseas” but, it’s absolutely DISGRACEFUL that Lili and Archie will not be considered “royal” because their father (who w is royal) chose to marry a woman of colour. Yet, people who have not got a gram of “royal blood” in their veins are allowed to be treated like royalty. The whole bliddy lot of them are just a bunch of bigoted low-lifes.
Yep, pretty much.
Councillors of state will stand in for William when he becomes King and the only Middleton will be Catherine as his spouse. Totally ridiculous report re Parker Bowles standing in for Camilla if the funeral was of a friend of them both then he was representing himself surely. In my view sensationalism meant to cause backlash
Something I’ve been wondering about. Charles set up trusts for Camilla’s children. Has he set up trusts for Lili and Archie? I suspect not.
The funeral was for one of the Queen’s cousins, so where the hell was William? He’s the one related to this cousin.
Even Andrew going would have made more sense.
Charles was represented by Earl of Rosslyn. Andrew PB is a relation of the deceased on his mother’s side.
Nic 919, Will only hauls @ss if he’s getting an upgrade in titles, cold hard cash and acreage. Even better if he figures out an angle to royally snub his brother and POC wife.
I know it’s what’s inside that counts, but man the British aristocracy is full of some strange-looking people.
They don’t age well for sure
All of that inbreeding certainly takes its toll!
I came here to say the same!!
They all seem ugly, cranky people and what’s weirder… they even looked ‘old’ when they were young 🤔 maybe it’s the fact that the style of their clothes is stuck in the 19th century…
LMAO!!!! Yes!!!
Is this seat taken? Because, OMG, same.
After all the talk of AP-B being the catch of the season way back when, and reportedly cutting a wide swath through the upper crust ladies of the UK for decades, all I can say is “Him? Really? Are you sure? Him?”
@Dara: My sentiments exactly! I mean, I’ve seen photos of him back in his salad days and he really wasn’t NOT all that! Rumor has it he was quite the “swordsman” back in that time. Maybe that’s what all the hoopla around him was because that face…
A “sense of duty” and inbreeding ages a person.
As well as swimming in the shallow end of the gene pool.
The grift is just fully in the open now.
Seriously. After decades of rehabilitating Cam, and letting Meghan and Harry get away as the only two people in this family who have any real ambition to serve, we are now at the point where APB is a “royal”.
It couldn’t happen to nicer people.
So now the Royal family accepts Catholics to represent them? Guess being Camilla and Ann’s ex has lifetime benefits.
I think it was a Roman Catholic funeral.
If that was the hang up then why not send one of the Catholic Kents? Ok they aren’t related to the Bowes-Lyons but uh neither is Andrew (or Camilla)
@Bay, but does that preclude them from going to a funeral (or any event/celebration) for a friend of a different religion?? (Not being snarky, genuinely asking!)
ETA Initially I missed the “represent” in Cessily’s comment, so now I understand (a *tiny* bit) more why it was a question. But still! And it’s obscene to call going to a friend’s funeral “work.” These people get more appalling by the day.
As an Irish Catholic I was just smh, I truthfully don’t care who represents them it’s the hypocrisy of it all that bothers me.
@Lorelei You can attend a funeral mass even if you aren’t Catholic, but as with other Catholic services, you cannot receive communion unless you are Catholic.
@murphy Andrew PB was first cousin to John Bowes Lyon through their mothers.
John Francis Bowes-Lyon, who died 18 September, 2022, aged 80, was a scion of the Earls of Strathmore and Kinghorne, and a third cousin of the King.
He was born 13 June, 1942, elder son of Major-General Sir Francis James Cecil Bowes-Lyon, KCVO, CB, OBE, MC & Bar [1917-1977], and his wife the former Mary de Trafford [1920-2007], who was an aunt of Brigadier Andrew Parker Bowles, first husband of Her Majesty Queen Camilla.
John Bowes-Lyon was unmarried. He is survived by a brother Captain David Bowes-Lyon [born 21 July, 1947], married to the Princess Royal’s Lady-in-Waiting, Elizabeth Harriet Colville [born 3 Dec, 1952], a goddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II; and by a sister, Fiona Anne [born 3 July, 1944], wife of Joseph Henry Goodhart.
The funeral and Thanksgiving Service took place at the Brompton Oratory, 18 Oct, 2022. The King was represented by the Earl of Rosslyn at the funeral and the Queen Consort was represented by her first husband Brigadier Andrew Parker Bowles, who was a cousin of Mr. Bowes-Lyon.
Weren’t Andrew and Camilla married in the Catholic Church?
I’m not sure if they were or not, I have read that she never converted to Catholicism but I do not know for sure. The fact that he is Catholic has been written about and has many sources so It is safe to assume that is true.
@Cessily – I looked it up and they were married in the Catholic Church. Camilla wouldn’t have had to convert. But, I don’t see hypocrisy here – if royals can now marry Catholics (although they would be removed from the line of succession), then there’s no reason why a Catholic can’t represent the RF at some event or other.
So Charles was so desperate to not appear to be snubbing his Grandmother’s maternal family that he looked down the bench at…Andrew Parker Bowles?
He’s an option now but Princess Beatrice isn’t?
Andrew was related to the deceased, actually. They were first cousins, their mothers were sisters, much closer relation than the royals themselves. He’s represented Anne before at funerals. They usually pick someone who’s already going. Thus no fuss, no muss, no cost.
Erm… This was the funeral of a cousin of the Queen and they sent Camilla’s ex husband to rep them?! I know APB rolls deep in everyone bedroom sheets for decades but C’MON man! Was this a cousin who told knock knock jokes & side eyed a corgi at the last family reunion?!? Didn’t they deserve at least an ‘Of Kent’ level rep?
I am howling at this comment! 😂
So this confirms something I asked about yesterday. Charles and Anne were sleeping with the the same married couple. That’s almost House of Dragon level weird. Not in their small circles I’m sure. Perfectly normal for siblings to have overlapping lovers. Charles dated Di’s older sister. But at the same time? 😳
Bettyrose, i was subconsciously trying not to draw the lines so well on the sibling connectivity sexually – I am about to lose my breakfast.
EDIT —And then I see dee (2)’s comment – TAG TEAMING. I feel very queasy.
They play at being normal, but they are truly a decadent aristocracy – they have different values (or maybe no values at all).
Yet this relaxed, “sophisticated” way of carrying on almost guarantees that the next generation ends up quite as messed up as the previous one, IMHO.
It’s amazing to me how many people view the aristocracy as “aspirational” — and as Esmeralda said, “sophisticated” —when in reality, many of them seem to be pretty disgusting people.
I guess they just wink at each other as they recite their marriage vows??
Definitely not aspirational, especially since it really isn’t something one can achieve. Either you’re an insider or you’re not. Do I envy the idea of a country life tending to my vegetables and lovingly raising animals? Heck yeah I do, but I suppose if I really wanted I could have that, only not a manor house or servants or posh lovers and an additional town home in the city for shopping excursions.
@BettyRose, I guess I meant more like Kate’s Vogue cover…celebrity lives/homes aren’t achievable to most either, but still fun to look at sometimes. Like Zillow porn, lol. But the UK’s aristo class just seems so gross to me and not at all a lifestyle I would ever want to partake in!
I think that House of Dragons is imitating royalty in general, not the other way around. As regrettable as it sounds. King Tut’s mom may have been his dad’s sister.
Having APB attend a funeral that he probably needed to show up for anyway is both efficient and secure, Parker Bowles tells no tales that will wind up in a tawdry tabloid.
I KNOW healthy adults who are mature can hang out with exes and their new significant others with no issues, I have. This is just all so bizarre to me though. If my brother and I were tag teaming on different sides of a married couple, I couldn’t see all of us hanging out down the line with our new significant others. It’s just too involved for my comfort, and I don’t understand how everyone is just so cool with all their exes, siblings, and new peeps having slept together at some point. And these are the people that are supposed to be special? This premise was told a million times on Maury, Jerry Springer, and Jenny Jones but somehow those people were supposed to be trashy. SMH.
Didn’t Andrew Park Bowles use to work for the Royal Family? It’s not uncommon for members of the Royal Family to ask former/current employees or retired high ranking members of the military to represent them at funerals. I didn’t get why Richard Eden felt the need to mention Harry and Meghan in his piece. If there were still working royals they would not have attended this funeral.
@AmyBee, I think we all know exactly why Eden included them…he wanted people to actually read his column. It’s so transparent at this point.
AP-B was Commanding Officer of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, tasked primarily with ceremonial duties on State and Royal occasions, so sort of affiliated with Royal duties but he didn’t actually work for the BRF.
I’m convince Richard Eden has framed pictures of Harry and Meghan on his bedside table
@AmyBee: Just so he could lump them into a LESS THAN category with the real BLACK SHEEP of the family – Andrew.
Don’t know whether to be disguested or annoyed. But Bowes-Lyon is the Queen Mother’s family. Who was representing Charles?
Somebody was there representing Charles as well but the juicier story was Camilla’s ex-husband was represented her at the funeral.
That and never mind he was like Charles III cousin and Andrew PB’s first. There was WAY more reason for him to be there and it was easy to make him a rep. It’s a non story.
Don’t know whether to be disgusted or amused. But Bowes-Lyon is the Queen Mother’s family. Who was representing Charles?
I found that weird too. The Wails should have gone. Guess they’re busy being salty.
Charles should have forced William to go. But clearly he’s going to remain a doormat when it comes to his son, regardless of what titles they hold.
Come now, the Wails couldn’t attend the funeral – it’s half term for the kids!
Therefore no work for any of them, obviously!
The Earl of rosslyn represented Charles. Andrew PB was John’s first cousin.
Gross.
He looks like a Hogwarts professor.
🤣
He looks just like the actor who played Slughorn.
I did not know that Camila’s ex was banging her sister in law. The aristocrats are so tight knit.
CLACK…
This is the sound of another domino falling on the path to abolishing the monarchy.
Charles has his head so far up his own ass (or Camilla’s twat – crass but tampon sex calls made it a gimme) that he can’t see how completely alienating this is for the public.
Would you publicly send the cuckolded ex-husband of the mistress you married after an enormously messy public scandal (in which the public entirely died with your young ex-wife) to handle a public event (which is actually a private funeral) on your current mistress-wife’s behalf? The guy who also banged your sister?
Everyday people don’t do this! Americans might be pearl-clutching book-banning puritans but there’s no way bit-of-footie-on-the-telly Brits are ok with the shameless amorality on display here, are they? This is like rubbing their faces in the war of the Wales stuff, daring the public to be ok with it all.
Charles already:
– accepts cash bags on money from foreign nationals for favors
– got nasty with staff on TV over a pen
– greeted his PM on TV with “oh dear”
– stripped his Afghanistan veteran son of medals, titles, uniform, publicly
– publicly disinvited his son from events around his own grandmother’s funeral
– hired a Daily Mail editor will zero public relations experience as his PR guy
And this is all just 2022.
He’s freaking out about Netflix not being real while teeing up ALL the things that will make The Crown seem like gospel truth. It’s already in the fvcking trailer – “the house of Windsor… Damaging the country…should be setting an example of idealized family life”
I can’t wait for s5 to drop. I’ve already cancelled plans for the whole weekend.
🔥🔥
Me too! I’m stacking my work calendar so I can binge the whole thing. I agree with your whole post–of all the times to drag out Andrew Parker Bowles, why now? I thought they wanted us to forget all about the Wars of the Wales? They should have sent someone (anyone!) else to represent the king and queen and keep this man’s name far away from the front pages. They have a very strange PR team at the palace.
Lurker25……I love you! Your post was BEAUTIFUL!. All the things going round in my mind (and a few more you brought out) but was unable to put into words.
I think the public is just too brainwashed by all the propaganda to care. At this point, all this degeneracy has been normalized. They shrug everything off like there is nothing they can do about royals run amok. That photo of APB standing between Anne and her unhappy husband could be a whole episode of The Crown.
If anyone is in London and likes art, there’s a great painting of APB in the Lucian Freud exhibit at the National Gallery. It’s called The Brigadier. (I’m not saying it’s great in the sense of being flattering, because that’s not what Lucian Freud did, but as a painting it’s amazing).
With adultery & side-pieces being practically de rigeuer among the toffs, I can hardly wait to see who Kate eventually flings with. With all 3 kids at school now, she could easily have lunchtime liaisons.
Kate has probably had plenty of flings. Given the fact she openly thirsts after harry and Ben Ainsley, she’s clearly up for a bit of side action.
Disagree FB, Kate would never endanger the position she has worked for half her life. She knows there are different rules for wives. No one nighters or affairs for her. Mom Middleton would never allow it.
Hard disagree from me too. Loyalty to the fam is perhaps her only virtue, she’s not called a ‘Wisteria Sister’ for nothing.
If she was having flings she wouldn’t seem so bitter. She knows the sexist rules of that family. Until there is a public separation, she’s not going to risk it.
Open marriages, okay, fine. But a married couple sleeping with a brother and sister is… uh… very aristocratic of them. It’s not like they were (are? ick) in some tiny town a couple hundred years ago with few options.
I also don’t get how his “work” counts as Camilla’s.
What? Ewwww The king’s wife Camilla’s ex-husband used to bang Princess Ann, Camilla’s husband King Charles’ sister? The BF is so effed up it’s not even funny. LOL I want this on the Crown
It actually was. Pretty briefly, but they did cover it.
“she reportedly had a warm, happy marriage to Andrew”
Towards the end of their marriage she used to refer to him as “It.” That doesn’t sound particularly warm or happy.
Posh people are generally terrible, that kind of treatment is what passes as warm and affectionate among that circle.
Well damn! Remember the days when side pieces knew to remain in the shadows? The thirst is real!
So this is the slimmed down monarchy, with side pieces and one stands representing the “exalted” “crown”? You really couldn’t make this up. This kind of nonsense will make Netflix’s The Crown seem boring! I’m still watching it and this fiasco aka sh*t show I mean “reign” of C-Rex though!
Um, are they trying to imply that they have receipts that Cam and APB have slept together since the divorce? It sounds ridiculous but with this family and their toxic relationship with the British tabs, nothing is too ridiculous. Maybe they are reminding Cam that she needs to keep feeding them stories??
They’re all impossibly ugly. Is that a requirement of the aristocracy? To be so rich not even your utter homeliness can deter snatches, suitors, or side-pieces?
Ha ha ha!! Too true. They’re all so homely–can you imagine the audacity if they were good looking?
I always thought camilla was more into Andrew than Charles. Andrew was supposedly a catch when he was younger but aged like milk like the rest of them. I think camilla would have happily stayed married to Andrew and been Charles side piece. I wonder how much Andrew and Anne hooked up when he was married to camilla?
Probably more than we think. Anne was reported years ago to be very interested in sex.
Good for her, re: being very interested in sex. And they’ve all got open marriages, and I think she banged Andrew before Charles banged Camilla, though I don’t know about the timeline. Her choice does give me the icks, but eh… Charles was the only one in this circle without an open marriage, because Diana being wife of the heir meant she was tightly controlled. He got to do whatever he pleased, she got nothing.
I actually think Diana would have been pretty much okay with Charles sleeping around if he’d shown her respect and affection, though, and given her her rightful place as the future queen. But no, Camilla was his comfort object, Charles can’t respect or feel true affection for anyone, and so he blew it all up.
All this is a bit too chummy, no?
If any of these royals had to work for a living the would all be too tired for all this bed hopping.
Too damn much time on their hands!
Manual labor + struggling to survive at poverty level wages will force a married couple to stick together.
Btw, take a look at Prince Andrew in his uniform when he returned from the Falklands.
He was considered to be an attractive young man.
IIRC, People mag ran a lot of fluff about him as Prince Charming, etc.
And Princess Anne in her youth was very aristo pretty.
Now, we learn that Liz was right “Never let sunshine in on the magic.”
In plain English, keep our mystery because if the public learns how awful are, we will be thrown out.
Thanks…I needed a good laugh this morning! This would be like me calling up one of my exes and asking if they could go to a funeral… 🤣🤣🤣
I read that camilla was in India on holiday at the time. Doing some wellnes rest or something something.
The BRF is really stupid arent they?