Who Is Andrew Parker Bowles on 'The Crown,' Camilla Shand's Husband?

Camilla (formerly Shand) Parker Bowles' first husband, Andrew Parker Bowles, will play a very important part of the upcoming drama on The Crown. Played by Andrew Buchan, Andrew Parker Bowles serves as one member of the biggest royal love square (rectangle?) in history—himself, his wife Camilla, her lover and future husband Prince Charles, and his wife Princess Diana. We'll have to wait and see how the show explores the relationship in seasons three and four, but the real-life Andrew already has plenty of drama to explore. What's truth, and what's fiction?

His family was connected to the royals.

Andrew was born in 1939 to a family that was already connected to the royals—his father, Derek Parker Bowles, had a close relationship with the Queen Mother and she became Andrew's godmother. He ran in the same social circles as Charles as a polo player, and even was apparently friends with the royal. Charles met Camilla through one such polo match.

Charles In Kenya — Prince Charles and Andrew Parker Bowles (#2).

Andrew served in the British army and had a long career, retiring in the 1990s.

His relationship with Camilla was complex.

The pair met after Camilla finished school, but he was dating multiple people (which would be a theme throughout their relationship and even after they got married). He dated Princess Anne off and on—sources differ on how serious the relationship was, but she would never have been able to marry him because he was Catholic. Camilla also, very notably, dated her future second husband, Prince Charles, during this time. There are differing reports of why Charles and Camilla broke up, including that the royal family thought they were an unsuitable match, and/or that Camilla was obsessed with Andrew and would always prefer him to anyone else.

Parker Bowles married Camilla in 1973 (when she was 26 and he was 34) after years of being off and on, and the two had children, Tom and Laura.

He (allegedly) had multiple affairs while they were married, and sources differ on how much the pair shared with each other and were accepting of extramarital relationships. Fun fact: Charles is Tom's godfather, so...it's a small world, if you know what I mean.

He doesn't show up much in The Crown.

Poor Andrew Parker Bowles doesn't get much attention in season three, as least when it comes to Camilla (his affair with Princess Anne gets a little screen time). The relationship between Charles and Camilla is laboriously shown—almost as much as the royal family's opposition to the relationship; The Crown presents Lord Montbatten and the Queen Mother in a Machiavellian plot to separate the two—but Andrew really only shows up as an afterthought, a plot device whose only real role is to leave Charles devastated. Andrew is not the villain in The Crown—the royal family is. It's likely that this emphasis on the royal family's onscreen opposition to Camilla and Charles, rather than the introduction of Andrew, foreshadows season four, in which we'll see the disastrous repercussions of that decision (spoiler: Charles cheats on Diana, Camilla cheats on Andrew, everyone is miserable).

In real life, Charles and Camilla's breakup probably had a lot more to do with her love for Andrew than it did the royal family's opposition to the "unsuitable" Camilla (which did occur—but there was no Machiavellian plot to separate the two, as far as we know). But that's a whole lot less interesting, and less to do with the drama of season four, than what's shown in The Crown, so you can see why the show ventured in that direction instead.

The couple divorced in 1995.

It's not totally clear when (or even whether) Camilla and Charles stopped seeing each other, but reports say as early as 1986. Later, they were honest about the affair they'd had when they were both married, leading to an enormous royal scandal. Charles apparently admitted he'd been unfaithful in a TV interview in 1994—yikes—and Andrew, who'd known about and even tolerated the situation—felt that to be too much. He initiated divorce proceedings, and the pair officially split up.

Andrew went on to marry his mistress, Rosemary Parker Bowles, the following year. Ironically, Andrew and Rosemary attended the wedding between Camilla and Charles (was it weird? Probably a little, right??), so their divorce was amicable and they've been seen interacting at events ever since. And Camilla even attended the memorial service of Andrew's second wife Rosemary after she died from breast cancer in 2010.

Memorial Service For Rosemary Parker Bowles

Andrew is still alive, and he still attends royal events. He even, apparently, has an amicable relationship with former girlfriend Princess Anne!

You can watch season three of The Crown on Netflix from Nov. 17.

For more stories like this, including celebrity news, beauty and fashion advice, savvy political commentary, and fascinating features, sign up for the Marie Claire newsletter.

subscribe here

Katherine’s a contributing syndications editor at Marie Claire who covers fashion, culture, and lifestyle. In her role, she writes stories that are syndicated by MSN and other outlets. She’s been a full-time freelancer for over a decade and has had roles with Cosmopolitan (where she covered lifestyle, culture, and fashion SEO content) and Bustle (where she was their movies and culture writer). She has bylines in New York Times, Parents, InStyle, Refinery29, and elsewhere. Her work has also been syndicated by ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, Seventeen, Good Housekeeping, and Women’s Health, among others. In addition to her stories reaching millions of readers, content she's written and edited has qualified for a Bell Ringer Award and received a Communicator Award.

Katherine has a BA in English and art history from the University of Notre Dame and an MA in art business from the Sotheby's Institute of Art (with a focus on marketing/communications). She covers a wide breadth of topics: she's written about how to find the very best petite jeans, how sustainable travel has found its footing on Instagram, and what it's like to be a professional advice-giver in the modern world. Her personal essays have run the gamut from learning to dress as a queer woman to navigating food allergies as a mom. She also has deep knowledge of SEO/EATT, affiliate revenue, commerce, and social media; she regularly edits the work of other writers. She speaks at writing-related events and podcasts about freelancing and journalism, mentors students and other new writers, and consults on coursework. Currently, Katherine lives in Boston with her husband and two kids, and you can follow her on Instagram. If you're wondering about her last name, it’s “I go to dinner,” not “Her huge ego,” but she responds to both.