Queen Camilla’s son Tom Parker Bowles has opened up about his own experiences with paparazzi harassment while expressing deep empathy for his royal stepbrothers Prince William and Prince Harry.
During a recent interview, Parker Bowles shared memories of being “chased at 100mph by paps trying to get a shot.”
He described witnessing his mother being screamed at by photographers attempting to provoke a reaction, amid constant pushing and jostling.
“It was horrific, and you are protective of your mother,” he said.
Parker Bowles added: “You didn’t think of it in any other way… it was barbaric.”
These encounters offered him a glimpse into the intense media pressure that would later face his royal stepbrothers.
Despite his own experiences, Parker Bowles maintains a careful distance from his stepbrothers.
“I learned a long time ago not to put my fat fingers into the world of William and Harry,” he told The Telegraph.
Despite his own experiences, Parker Bowles maintains a careful distance from his stepbrothers.
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However, he expressed sympathy for their situation, acknowledging the scale of their struggles compared to his own.
“It was appalling what they went through. I’ve had a billionth of what they’ve had to go through but hell, I sympathise,” he shared.
In a significant break from tradition, Parker Bowles revealed he will join King Charles and Queen Camilla at Sandringham this Christmas.
For the past 15 years, he has spent Christmas at his ex-wife’s house, typically enjoying a relaxed day of comfortable clothes and pub visits.
However, Queen Camilla invited her son to Sandringham this year.
Parker Bowles said regarding the Queen’s invitation: “I’d love you to come; I haven’t had Christmas with [Camilla] for a long time”.
The festivities will be “a bit different,” he admits, noting he’ll need to bring “a suit and a dinner jacket” for the formal royal celebrations.