There are people who’ve become so famous that people can instantly recognize them no matter where they are in the world. Still, however you feel about the British Royal Family, we’re sure you know of them. Despite the fact that they get a lot of press time, the truth is, we really don’t know them. For one thing, not many people know that Prince Harry and Prince William have a stepsister! It all started when Prince Charles and Lady Diana got married back in 1981. Even though their story sounded like some kind of fairy tale, something was boiling underneath the surface…
No One Knew About Prince William And Prince Harry’s Step-Sibling – Until Now
Someone Else
The couple exchanged vows and got married, but all the same, Prince Charles wasn’t the Prince Charming Diana had been looking for. As it turns out, his hard had already belonged to a different woman at the time.
Someone Else
Called It Quits
In 1971, Prince Charles met Camilla Parker Bowles. They began dating, got into a relationship, but broke it off suddenly after a few years together. They moved on with their own lives and married other people. However, there are certain fires one cannot put out.
Called It Quits
No Sulking
“There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded,” Princess Diana said to the BBC in 1995. Despite the fact that it was awkward, she didn’t sulk and moan. She chose to do the exact opposite, in fact.
No Sulking
Princess Of Wales
Diana made the decision to embrace her position as the Princess of Wales instead. She brought a whole new spark to the family by immersing herself in a lot of charity work. She became a pop culture icon, but that was only the beginning.
Princess Of Wales
Doting Mother
She also made a name for herself since she changed the way royal kids were to be raised. She didn’t hire nannies or pass her kids off to relatives to take care of. Diana made sure to schedule her time around her little boys. She included them in events as much as possible and even took them to school herself.
Doting Mother
Breaking Up
By the end of the 1990s, the Royal Family was on the verge of crumbling. Charles and Diana had split before they eventually got a divorce. It wasn’t a good look for them. However, that wasn’t even the worst of it.
Breaking Up
A Tragic Death
The car Diana was in had crashed into a pillar in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris on August 31, 1997. She was being chased by the press at the time, leading to the driver to crash. Unfortunately, she died of internal injuries not long after.
A Tragic Death
Everyone Heard
The public was absolutely stunned to hear the news. She was so young! Mourners began pouring into London to pay tribute to her. There were so many flowers outside her house that they could have been mistaken for a carpet.
Everyone Heard
Moving On
There was a massive outpouring of grief. Once the public funeral was over, the Royal Family had to move on with their lives. However, what Charles did after that shocked anyone who heard about it. What could he have done?
Moving On
Getting Back Together
In 2005, it became known that Charles and Camilla were getting back together. They weren’t only dating, however. They planned on getting married. This meant that William and Harry were to get a new stepmother.
Getting Back Together
A New Start
As was expected, the general public was skeptical of someone replacing Diana. It was a very different matter for the Royal Family themselves, however. They managed to pull together, though. It was clear that Charles was very happy in his new relationship. Of course, this made William and Harry happy as well. Camilla definitely helped the family stay strong.
A New Start
No Wicked Stepmom
“She’s not the wicked stepmother,” Harry said in 2005, “William and I love her to bits.” Even though the public had a negative initial reaction, Camilla was eventually accepted. As it turns out, however, she wasn’t the only one to join the family.
No Wicked Stepmom
Not Only Camilla
Since everyone was so focused on Camilla joining the British Royal Family, they didn’t notice that she had two kids from her first marriage. Eventually, one of them stepped into the spotlight, but the other one stayed back.
Not Only Camilla
Tom Parker Bowles
Camilla’s son, Tom Parker Bowles is a well-known food critic and writer. In fact, he’s released several books, starred on Masterchef, and worked on Gordon Ramsay’s The F-Word. On the other hand, his sister isn’t quite as open with her life.
Tom Parker Bowles
Laura Lopes
Camilla’s daughter, Laura Lopes, did her very best to keep out of the spotlight. Despite the fact that she’s been spotted at royal weddings and certain events, she has a reason for keeping to herself. What could it possibly be?
Laura Lopes
Just Kids
Camilla’s children were very young when Prince Charles married Diana. As children of his former lover, they needed to constantly deal with the paparazzi, even back then. It took a serious toll on both Laura and Tom.
Just Kids
The Pap
The paparazzi would wait outside their house, hoping to get a picture of the Parker Bowles family. They would even follow their car through the streets. This, of course, is reminiscent of the way Diana died just a couple of years later. Soon enough, it got on the family’s nerves.
The Pap
Dealing With Bullies
“They’re bullies, half of these people, and they made you very angry,” Tom said while talking to the Mail. “All I wanted to do was smack them in the face and beat the hell out of them. But you couldn’t do that.” Laura handled it in a different way.
Dealing With Bullies
Avoiding Attention
Her childhood experience led Laura to retreat from the spotlight instead of enjoying it. But, did it mean that she also kept the Royal Family at a distance? It only makes sense that being close to them meant that she’d be in the spotlight as well, no?
Avoiding Attention
Won Them Over
After Camilla married Charles, she said she couldn’t have gotten to that point if it wasn’t for her family. Despite the fact that the paparazzi hounded her and the tabloids dragged her, she still managed to win them over.
Won Them Over
True Nature
It isn’t a new thing for people to speculate about the “real” nature of royal relationships. For a while now, the grapevine has been talking about the tension between Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle. Since Meghan joined the Royal Family, people have been claiming there’s friction between the two.
True Nature
The Brothers
Reporters have been on the hunt to find out the truth. They did manage to provide a better understanding of what’s going on. It looks like the root of it all was a disagreement between William and Harry.
The Brothers
At Odds
It looks like the Royal Family had some brotherly beef to deal with back then. While they’ve always been close, the brothers do live very different lives, everyone knows that. William and Harry had a feud, but about what?
At Odds
The Public Noticed
The thing that tipped the public about the trouble between the brothers was a diversion from a very old tradition. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wanted to take their own path and leave the rest of the royals!
The Public Noticed
Kensington Palace
At first, the newlyweds moved into Kensington Palace. While there, Meghan got to spend her first year as a member of the Royal Family. She had time to adjust to this brand-new way of life. She was in the presence of vets who could explain everything she needed to know. Of course, there was nothing unusual about this.
Kensington Palace
Nottingham Cottage
The couple lived in Nottingham Cottage, a mere stone’s throw away from where the Duke and Duchess of Kent lived and Princess Eugenie as well. Meanwhile, William and Kate lived in a massive apartment just across the grounds.
Nottingham Cottage
Moving Out
As the birth of their first child came closer, the couple decided it was time for them to live “Nott Cott.” Harry and Meghan wanted to move into Frogmore Cottage at Windsor. It was a lot more accommodating and spacious than their original home.
Moving Out
Renovating The Cottage
Immediately, renovations at Nottingham Cottage began. It originally had 2 bedrooms and served as the bachelor pad of Prince Harry before he had married Meghan. Was there more to this move than they let on?
Renovating The Cottage
Lingering Animosity
Despite the fact that their relationship progressed into a marriage with a baby on the way, there was still some iciness that hadn’t melted away. One thing that made it difficult for the family was everyone telling Harry the same thing William did. They all had the same concerns, leading to the animosity to seemingly grow bigger. What was really going on?
Lingering Animosity
Time To Chat
Finally, the reason for the room was revealed. There was alleged tension within the Windsors, and it all started when Harry and Meghan began dating. William wanted to talk to Harry just after he first met the woman who would soon become his sister-in-law.
Time To Chat
Apprehensive
William saw that Harry and Meghan were head-over-heels in love with each other. There was no question whether marriage would come next, it was plainly obvious. However, William told his younger brother to slow down and not rush into things. He also took the chance to express his apprehension about the way the two dove into such a serious commitment.
Apprehensive
Miffed
“William told his brother they knew nothing about her background, her intentions, what she was really like,” a source said. Prince William tried as much as he could to explain his concerns as gently as possible. Still, this didn’t stop Harry from feeling bad about it.
Miffed
His Concerns
This source turned out to be a royal court member. They continued and said, “He just wanted to stress that becoming part of the Royal Family is a massive undertaking, and the pressure and scrutiny are [sic] unrelenting. Was Meghan the right one?”
His Concerns
Defending Her
There was no doubt that Harry didn’t agree with his older brother. He saw the advice as a slight against the woman he loved. At the time, Meghan already was dealing with the media, her difficult family, and even the speculations of the public. Harry felt he needed to stand up for her.
Defending Her
Her Own Family
The reason the Royal Family was cold towards their newest member wasn’t known yet. All the same, we’re sure the House of Windsor didn’t expect the public criticisms made by Meghan’s own father, Thomas Markle, and her half-sister, Samantha.
Her Own Family
Theories Abound
There is one theory that claims that the cold shoulder towards Meghan is due to the fact that she’s half black. However, others believe that this reaction was because she used to be an actress. Maybe they doubted whether they were dealing with the real Meghan or not.
Theories Abound
Despite Everything
It must have been so difficult for them. Still, Prince Harry and Princess Meghan never wavered in public. They’ve always presented a united front and clearly adored each other. Despite all the worries Prince William had, Meghan was as much of a Royal Family member as the others.
Despite Everything
His Fault
Some sources have claimed that Harry was the one to blame here. “He will brook no criticism of Meghan,” one source explained. “And he is so sensitive he often sees criticism or negativity where there isn’t any.”
His Fault
Protecting Her
A courtier said, “It’s my opinion that Harry feels he couldn’t protect his mother, so he’s going all out to protect his wife.” In the past, Diana was heavily criticized by the media for pretty much every little thing that she did. Maybe Harry was trying to make up for his helplessness back then by protecting his wife now?
Protecting Her
Another Reason
If it is true that there was existing tension between the four, it certainly didn’t help that the Queen chose Harry to be the Youth Ambassador to the Commonwealth. Reports have said that it hurt William to be overlooked for this position. With that said, he had the power to veto the appointment, but he didn’t intervene.
Another Reason
Confirmation
Plenty of royal fanatics would like to brush off the thought of conflict and simply blame the press for creating drama. However, there was a time when the Fab Four was asked if they ever get into disagreements. William was the only one who broke the awkward silence by saying, “Oh yes.”
Confirmation
Tension
Both couples nervously laughed at that. Harry kept a smile on as he answered the next question, which was if the fueds end up getting resolved. He said, “We don’t know.” Even though he took a humorous approach, it was obvious that the brothers’ relationship was strained.
Tension
The Duchesses
The tensions seemed to just get worse with the complicated dynamic between their wives, Kate and Meghan. When Meghan joined the family, she probably hoped she and the Duchess of Cambridge would become friends.
The Duchesses
Tight Schedule
At that time, Kate was pregnant with their third child, Louis. She didn’t get the memo that she would need to guide her new sister-in-law. She already had plenty on her plate with her kids and royal duties. It’s no wonder she had such a busy schedule. Meghan probably thought she got snubbed instead.
Tight Schedule
No Noble Blood
Reports are still speculating whether there was any real tension between the two women. Did they actually get along or did they dislike each other? Even though neither of them started out with a noble bloodline, they would soon become two of the most visible members of the British Royal Family.
No Noble Blood
Meghan And Kate
Meghan and Kate made their first official appearance on Christmas Day back in 2017. They had joined the Windsor family under very different circumstances. Despite the fact that neither of them had noble blood, they came from completely different worlds.
Meghan And Kate
Privileged Background
Even though Kate wasn’t a member of the aristocracy, she did come from a very wealthy family. Her parents owned a successful party supply company. She also attended the prestigious University of St. Andrews, where she befriended her classmate: Prince William.
Privileged Background
Getting Married
After they dated for years, William and Kate finally decided to get married in 2010. The year after “The Wedding of the Century,” Kate would earn the title, Duchess of Cambridge. On the other hand, Meghan also got married in 2011. But, who did she marry?
Getting Married
First Marriage
No, she hadn’t married Prince Harry yet. Back in those days, she was still trying to make it big in Holluwood. The L.A. native exchanged vows with a fellow actor-producer named Trevor Engelson. Two years after this, they would break up, at around the same time Meghan’s career would take off.
First Marriage