Laura Lopes has chosen to live away from the spotlight, a discretion that sometimes makes us forget her existence. Aged 42, she is the sister by marriage of Prince William and Prince Harry.
She is part of the family tree of the little-known royal family. Because they have lived under the spotlight since birth, the public often thinks they know everything about the lives of Prince William and Prince Harry.
After all, in recent decades, people have dreamed about their marriages in great pomp and circumstance, they’ve dreamt about the mischief of their adorable children, or they’ve regretted the quarrel that separated them and now keeps the two brothers thousands of miles apart. But what is less known – or forgotten because she chose to be discreet – is that William and Harry have a sister by marriage.
It is simply Laura Parker-Bowles, or Laura Lopes from her married name, the daughter of Camilla Parker-Bowles. Before joining Prince Charles after years of a passionate affair, Camilla was married to Andrew-Parker Bowles, with whom she had two children, Tom and Laura.
And when what is now the Duchess of Cornwall finally said yes to her Prince in 2005, Laura became the step-sister of William and Harry.
Peaceful relationships
Despite their ties, the relationship between the two princes and their sister-in-law has long been difficult, with William and Harry blaming his mother for breaking up their parents’ marriage.
But in recent years, the little blended family has grown closer together. In 2006, when Laura Parker-Bowles married Harry Lopes, Prince William and Kate Middleton were among the guests, and it was the first wedding that the young cup attended together. And almost 10 years later, in 2015, Laura Lopes’ daughter was one of the bridesmaids at Kate and William’s wedding.
Little known to the general public because she has always fled the spotlight, often refusing to participate in royal events, Laura Lopes would be fully integrated into the family today.
“William and Harry know that their mother would have liked to have a daughter, and they would like to make that happen years after her death. They are doing their best. They really want their sister-in-law to be an aunt for George, Charlotte, Louis and Archie.
As a tribute to their mother, they want this bond to grow stronger,” said Diana’s biographer Andrew Morton, according to the Belgian website Sudinfo. Laura Lopes would meet William regularly so that her three children could play with the prince’s children. The step cousins would thus grow up together.
Photo credits : Bestimage