Tom Parker-Bowles has shared his mother Queen Camilla’s philosophy for navigating life’s challenges during a candid reflection.
The Queen’s eldest son revealed how his mother would cope with difficult periods with a simple ritual.
The 50-year-old food critic explained that the Queen relies on a simple four-word motto when facing difficult periods: “You have to laugh”.
“If you can’t laugh about certain things that’s what’s kept her going I think, a sense of humour,” he told the White Wine Question Time podcast.
Queen Camilla’s son, Tom Parker-Bowles, has revealed how she coped with challenging times with a simple mantra
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“You have to be able to laugh at things,” Parker-Bowles reiterated.
“And whenever things got bad, we just pulled back together like the Roman centurions moving into their tortoise formation with the shields around.”
The food writer stressed: “It was important, that power of togetherness.”
Evidently, Camilla’s mantra gave comfort to her family during the challenging period she endured during the 1990s when her relationship with the then Prince of Wales became public knowledge.
Parker-Bowles celebrated his mother’s sense of humour and ‘you have to laugh’ motto
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Parker-Bowles emotionally described this time as “hell” for Camilla, who faced intense paparazzi intrusion and public criticism.
“My mother, as the Queen now, is doing a magnificent job, we’re all incredibly proud of her,” he stated on the podcast.
The 50-yeah-old emphasised that becoming Queen was “never her aim”, explaining: “It was just a story of two people who loved each other.”
He admitted that “not in a million years” did he expect his mother to assume the role of Queen Consort.
The Queen’s eldest son revealed this aided his mother during times he described as ‘hell’
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The Queen’s eldest also shared how a key decision from his mother had helped shape his life for the better.
Parker-Bowles explained his mother had not offered him guaranteed financial security and instead insisted he make his own money.
He admitted the decision had saved him from potential disaster.
“Sadly, no trust fund. You know, actually, it’s a good thing not having a trust fund. I’d probably be dead if I’d had one,” the food critic said.
Parker-Bowles also praised his mother’s decision over his finances for saving his life
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The food writer emphasised the value of having to pay his way, adding: “Obviously, I had to work like everyone. You know, you have to work. It’s important.”
Parker-Bowles, who grew up in a plush Grade-II listed manor house in Wiltshire with his mother and father Brigadier Andrew Parker Bowles, stressed that despite his privileged background, he had to support himself financially.
He worked in public relations for Dennis Davidson Associates, a film PR company that managed the Cannes Film Festival, before finding his calling as a food writer.
The Queen’s eldest son has since published nine cookbooks and won the Guild of Food Writers award in 2010.
