Tom Parker Bowles, the son of Queen Camilla, has opened up about the 'nasty' treatment his mother endured in the 1990s, saying he will never forget it.
Speaking to Gabriela Peacock, founder of GP Nutrition, on her Don't Judge Me podcast, Mr Parker Bowles discussed the strength of his mother amid the scrutiny she once faced. The 51-year-old said he would never forget the 'nasty' treatment she received, particularly during the 1990s.
'Just because everyone's being nice now doesn't mean we don't remember'
When asked by Ms Peacock how it felt to have the world hold such strong opinions about his mother, Mr Parker Bowles said: "Just because everyone's being nice now doesn't mean we don't remember!"
He added, referencing the hostility his family endured during the 1990s: "Back in the 90s when it was all pretty nasty... She hasn't changed."
Speaking of her strength, he said: "There have been times that haven't been so wonderful, but my mother just gets on with it, in that sort of English way: 'Never complain, never explain', and just get on with it."
Family closeness and gatherings
The 51-year-old also credited the success of his family's closeness to both his mother's and father's sides. Although both have remarried, he described that gathering for meals has been the glue that holds everything together.
He said: "However bad it gets for anyone, we can always gather together at my aunt's house, or my sister's house, or my mother's house, or my father's house, and have a good dinner or lunch and laugh and gossip, and this is what matters."
Camilla's past remarks and improved public standing
In 2017, Camilla spoke about her relationship with Charles in an interview with The Mail on Sunday. Discussing the scrutiny she faced, she said: "I couldn't really go anywhere... It was horrid."
She added: "It was a deeply unpleasant time, and I wouldn't want to put my worst enemy through it. I couldn't have survived it without my family."
The revelation of the couple's affair stunned many in the early 1990s. In one of the most iconic moments in Diana's BBC Newsnight interview, the late royal, who died in 1997, remarked, "There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded."
Camilla has seen an improvement in her public standing, particularly following King Charles' cancer diagnosis in 2024. In the BBC documentary Charles III: The Coronation Year, Camilla's sister, Annabel Elliot, described her as the King's "rock" and the "yin to his yang". Annabel said: "She is his rock, and I can't actually emphasise that enough. She is somebody who is completely loyal, and she isn't somebody who has huge highs and lows."
The interior designer added: "He brings to her everything, I'm not talking about all of this, but you know he has such a knowledge and interest in so many different things which she wouldn't really have been open to, if she hadn't met him."
Queen Camilla will celebrate her 80th birthday next year.
