Marie Claire Marie Claire
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Nice Talk
  • Style At Large
  • More
    • Politics
    • Career & Money
    • Health & Fitness
    • Power Play
    • Travel
    • Promo Codes
    • Food & Cocktails
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Sex & Love
  • Newsletter SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Marie Claire
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    Want to add more newsletters?

    Marie Claire Daily

    Delivered daily

    Marie Claire Daily

    Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Sent weekly on Saturday

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Exclusive access to expert shopping and styling advice from Nikki Ogunnaike, Marie Claire's editor-in-chief.

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Once a week

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Insider tips and recommendations for skin, hair, makeup, nails and more from Hannah Baxter, Marie Claire's beauty director.

    Livingetc

    Once a week

    Livingetc

    Your shortcut to the now and the next in contemporary home decoration, from designing a fashion-forward kitchen to decoding color schemes, and the latest interiors trends.

    Homes & Gardens

    Delivered Daily

    Homes & Gardens

    The ultimate interior design resource from the world's leading experts - discover inspiring decorating ideas, color scheming know-how, garden inspiration and shopping expertise.


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Coco Gauff's New Balances
    • Dyson
    • Postpartum Texts
    • Ayan Broomfield
    • Everyday Handbags
    1. Celebrity
    2. Royals

    The Motto Queen Camilla Held on to "Whenever Things Got Bad" for the Parker Bowles Family, According to Her Son

    "That's what's kept her going, I think."

    Amy Mackelden's avatar
    By Amy Mackelden
    Published 7 July 2025 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    Tom Parker Bowles with his mom Queen Camilla
    (Image credit: Matt Cardy - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    Tom Parker Bowles is getting candid about what it was like growing up with Queen Camilla as his mother. Having shared he thinks he'd "probably be dead" if his parents had given him a trust fund, the food writer revealed the motto his mom held on to whenever their family faced difficult situations or royal drama.

    During his appearance on the "White Wine Question Time" podcast, The Queen's son opened up about his mother's motto (via GB News). According to Parker Bowles, Queen Camilla abides by the phrase, "You have to laugh." He explained, "If you can't laugh about certain things, that's what's kept her going, I think, a sense of humor."

    Parker Bowles continued, "You have to be able to laugh at things...And whenever things got bad, we just pulled back together like the Roman centurions moving into their tortoise formation with the shields around." Sharing just how crucial family was during tough moments, the food critic explained, "It was important, that power of togetherness."

    Latest Videos FromMarie Claire
    Watch full video here:

    The Parker Bowles family in Windsor in June 1992

    "It was important, that power of togetherness."

    (Image credit: Mathieu Polak/Sygma via Getty Images)

    Parker Bowles also reflected on his mother's role within the monarchy, saying, "My mother, as The Queen now, is doing a magnificent job, we're all incredibly proud of her."

    He also suggested that Camilla never planned to become Queen. "It was just a story of two people who loved each other," Parker Bowles shared.

    You may like
    • Queen Camilla turned to the side wearing a green dress Queen Camilla's Friend Shares Her Philosophy on Prince Harry Relationship
    • Queen Camilla giving a speech in front of a tree Queen Camilla Addresses How Her Family Coped With a "Silent Thief"
    • Queen Elizabeth and Queen Camilla riding in a carriage at Royal Ascot Queen Elizabeth Didn't Need Queen Camilla and King Charles's Help, Says Author

    Queen Camilla with her son Tom Parker Bowles

    "My mother, as The Queen now, is doing a magnificent job."

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    During his podcast appearance, the food writer also discussed the fact that his family never gave him a trust fund. "You know, actually, it's a good thing not having a trust fund," he explained (via the Daily Mail). "I'd probably be dead if I'd had one." Parker Bowles continued, "Obviously, I had to work like everyone. You know, you have to work. It's important."

    Parker Bowles's most recent book, Cooking & The Crown: Royal Recipes From Queen Victoria to King Charles III, was released in late 2024, and explores the Royal Family's culinary habits.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    Cooking and the Crown: Royal Stories From Queen Victoria to King Charles Iii

    Tom Parker Bowles
    'Cooking and the Crown: Royal Stories From Queen Victoria to King Charles III'
    $16$14
    SHOP NOW

    Explore More
    Queen Camilla King Charles parenting
    Amy Mackelden
    Amy Mackelden
    Social Links Navigation
    Weekend Editor

    Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.

    Read more
    Queen Camilla turned to the side wearing a green dress
    Royals Queen Camilla's Friend Shares Her Philosophy on Prince Harry Relationship
    By Kristin Contino
    Queen Camilla smiling in a group of people, wearing a blue dress
    Royals Queen Camilla Admits She “Almost” Revealed The King's Cancer News Early
    By Kristin Contino
     
     
    Queen Camilla visits Speke Hall in Liverpool as Patron of the National Literacy Trust on September 04, 2026
    Royals Why Queen Camilla Says She's "A Little Creaky"
    By Amy Mackelden
    King Charles and Queen Camilla toasting with winte
    Royals King Charles and Queen Camilla Consider This Drink a "No-Go"
    By Kristin Contino
     
     
    Latest in Royals
    Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, has red hair and a short beard and wears a suit and tie and attends the Kyiv Security Forum, in Kyiv on April 23, 2026
    Royals Prince Harry "Used to Try and Escape" and "Disappear"
    Prince Harry smiling in front of a step and repeat
    Royals Royal Fans Hope Prince Harry "Reunites With" One Relative
     
     
    Queen Camilla visits Speke Hall in Liverpool as Patron of the National Literacy Trust on September 04, 2026
    Royals Why Queen Camilla Says She's "A Little Creaky"
    Princess Catharina Amalia wearing a red top and smiling
    Royals Europe's Future Queens Are Making Their Own Royal Beauty Rules
     
     
    Latest in News
    Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, has red hair and a short beard and wears a suit and tie and attends the Kyiv Security Forum, in Kyiv on April 23, 2026
    Royals Prince Harry "Used to Try and Escape" and "Disappear"
    Serena Williams wears a custom Nike jacket to play doubles with sister Venus Williams
    Celebrity Style Serena Williams's Custom Nike Jacket Pays Tribute to Her Incredible Career
     
     
    Prince Harry smiling in front of a step and repeat
    Royals Royal Fans Hope Prince Harry "Reunites With" One Relative
    Queen Camilla visits Speke Hall in Liverpool as Patron of the National Literacy Trust on September 04, 2026
    Royals Why Queen Camilla Says She's "A Little Creaky"
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Marie Claire
    RSS
    • About us
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Advertise Online
    • Newsletter
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Careers
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.