As the former spouse of Queen Camilla, ANDREW Parker Bowles has close ties to the Royal Family.
Despite their 1995 divorce, the former couple has remained friends, but who is Andrew and how old is he?
Andrew Parker Bowles: who is he?
A former British Army officer, Andrew Parker Bowles. The oldest child of Derek Henry Parker Bowles and Ann Parker Bowles, he was born on December 27, 1939.
His mother was the daughter of racehorse owner Sir Humphrey de Trafford, and his father was the great-grandson of Thomas Parker, the sixth Earl of Macclesfield.
He was able to act as a page at Queen Elizabeth’s coronation at the age of fourteen because of the friendship between his parents and The Queen Mother.
With his mount The Fossa, he competed in the 1969 Grand National as an amateur jockey and placed eleventh.
He spent 34 years in the military and attended the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst. He was commissioned into the Royal House Guards in 1960, and from 1967 to 1969 he served as the troop adjutant.
He became a major on December 31st, 1971. From 1981 to 1983, he served as the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment’s commanding officer.
When a terrorist bomb detonated in Regents Park, killing and injuring people as well as animals, Andrew was the commanding officer. The Queen’s Commendation for Bravery in Zimbabwe was also given to him.
He left the Army on December 27, 1994, with the rank of brigadier.
Who was the spouse of Andrew Parker Bowles?
Camilla Shand, now Queen Camilla and the wife of King Charles III, was Andrew’s first wife. On July 4, 1973, the couple exchanged vows in a Catholic ceremony at London’s Guards Chapel.
The wedding reception was held in St. James’s Palace, and the Queen Mother, Princess Anne, and Princess Margaret were in attendance. Tom Parker Bowles was born to Camilla on December 18, 1974, a year after their wedding.
The couple welcomed their second child, Laura Lopes, four years later. Laura attended the catholic St Mary’s School while Tom attended Eton College.
Andrew had several affairs during their marriage, leading to their divorce from Camilla in 1995.
He wed Rosemary Alice Pitman, formerly the wife of Lieutenant Colonel John Hugh Pitman, in 1996. Cancer claimed her life in 2010.
How old is Andrew Parker Bowles?
The age of Andrew is 83 as of July 2023. He was born in Surrey, England, on December 27, 1939.
What kind of bond does Princess Anne have with Andrew Parker Bowles?
Princess Anne and Andrew are said to have been dating for a while. The couple started dating in June 1970. However, they broke up before he proposed to Camilla.
According to Sally Bedell Smith, a biographer, the relationship between Anne and Andrew could not have been “very serious because Andrew was Catholic.”
Although they no longer were romantically involved, Princess Anne and Andrew remained friends, and Anne’s daughter Zara Tindall named Andrew as her godfather.
Are Camilla and Andrew Parker Bowles still close?
Even after their 1995 divorce, Andrew and Camilla are still close friends. He was present at the King’s Coronation in May 2023 as well as Camilla and King Charles’ wedding in Windsor in 2005.
Camilla attended a memorial service for Rosemary, Andrew’s second wife, after she passed away.
He also spoke on Camilla’s behalf at Mr. John Bowes-Lyon’s funeral in 2022.
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