As Queen Camilla turns 76, her son’s ex-wife dishes on ‘the hate years’

Queen Camilla's son's ex-wife dishes on 'the hate years'

Queen Camilla still has a special bond with her former daughter-in-law Sara Parker Bowles.

Sara was married to the monarch’s son, Tom, from 2005 until 2018.

The fashion editor opened up about her relationship with Camilla — who turned 76 on July 17.

The royal’s ex-family member told the Times how when she and Tom got together, Camilla was having a hard time with her public image — a period dubbed “the hate years.”

“[Camilla] wasn’t accepted at all. She didn’t talk about it. She was just very brave and uncomplaining,” Sara said.

“Tom was worried it would happen all over again when the Queen died, but it has been the opposite,” she said, also alluding to how she believed Camilla would behave after Queen Elizabeth passed.

The Queen died in September 2022, with Camilla and her husband, King Charles, becoming monarchs upon her passing.

Sara and Camilla have stayed close despite Sara and Tom divorcing.

Sara Parker Bowles said in an interview that she still has a close relationship with her former mother-in-law Queen Camilla.
Sara Parker Bowles said in an interview that she still has a close relationship with her former mother-in-law, Queen Camilla

Tom Parker Bowles and Sara Parker Bowles on their wedding day.
After five years of dating, Tom Parker Bowles married Sara in 2005

Sara and her kids, Lola and Freddy, attended the coronation in May, with her 13-year-old son serving as one of Camilla’s pages of honor.

The Wardrobe Revivals founder looked back on the crowning, saying: “Camilla was really, really nervous. She wanted the people that she loved around her. [The king] wasn’t nervous at all. But Camilla didn’t ask for any of this.”

“She’s the human face of the royal family because she’s not part of it. You need those outsiders, really,” Sara added, also noting that her children still call their grandmother “Gaga.”

Sara Parker-Bowles
Sara has two children, Lola and Freddy

She then happily recalled seeing her son on the balcony of Buckingham Palace alongside King Charles and Camilla, right after the coronation at Westminster Abbey.

“I was quite obsessively watching him. But I knew by then he was going to be OK, that I could sort of let go,” she said.

“He wanted to go in the gold carriage, but he didn’t get to. Then his face on the balcony — I could see he was just like, whoa! My favorite part of the whole day was that he did a little wave that he wasn’t supposed to,” Sara gushed.

Camilla's daughter Laura (from left); Camilla herself; King Charles; Sara Parker Bowles and Tom Parker Bowles at the races in 2006.
(From left) Camilla’s daughter Laura, Camilla, Charles, Sara Parker Bowles and Tom Parker Bowles at the races in 2006

She revealed that she was sent an email earlier this year in which a representative for Charles asked what gift Lola desired for her 16th birthday.

“It was just surreal. Like language from a fairy tale,” she recounted, saying that the message simply read: “The king would like to know what Lola wants for her birthday.”

Related Posts

Stephen Colbert’s Emmys Kiss Cam: How a Bittersweet Date Night with Evelyn Turned the 2025 Awards into a Love Letter to Late-Night.

The 77th Primetime Emmy Awards on September 14, 2025, were supposed to be a glittering escape from the headlines: a night of awkward host jokes, surprise wins,…

She Woke Up Wrapped in Bandages. Police Walked In Minutes Later. Their First Question: ‘Do You Know Him?’ Her Answer Changed Everything.” 🔥😢

In the sterile hush of Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s burn unit, 24-year-old Bethany Magee opened her eyes for the first time in 12 days on October 26, 2025….

🔥 “She Wore a Black Lives Matter Hoodie—And It May Have Made Her a Target. This 24-Year-Old Is Now Dictating Her Story, One Panel at a Time ✊

She wore it the way other people wear wedding rings or religious medals: without thinking, because it had become part of who she was. A plain black…

She Was Set on Fire on a Chicago Train at 1 A.M.—Awoke 12 Days Later in the ICU Asking ‘Am I Dead?’ This 24-Year-Old Barista Is Now Fighting Back

In the early morning hours of October 14, 2025, the Chicago Transit Authority’s Blue Line train was rattling through its usual subterranean route, carrying a weary mix…

Superman Star’s Brutal Comeback: Henry Cavill Endures Hellish Training Torment for Epic Highlander Sword Slaughter—Will Injury Scar His Immortal Legacy?

Henry Cavill, the chiseled British powerhouse who once soared as Superman and slashed through monsters as Geralt in The Witcher, is diving headfirst into a grueling training…

Superman Begs for Thanksgiving Invites? Henry Cavill’s Hilarious Kimmel Confession Turns Brit into Chiefs Superfan Overnight!

In the glittering chaos of late-night television, where Hollywood’s finest trade secrets for laughs, Henry Cavill delivered a bombshell that left Jimmy Kimmel—and millions of viewers—stunned into…