Nowadays, there are people who’ve become so famous that they get recognized no matter where they live in the world. However you feel about the British Royal family, we’re sure you’ve heard of Queen Elizabeth II, Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Harry, and Meghan Markle. Despite the fact that they get a lot of press, the truth is we don’t know them at all. Not many people know that Prince William and Prince Harry actually have a stepsister! When Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer got married in 1981, the whole story began. It sounded like a story right out of a fairy tale, but something wasn’t quite right.
Prince William And Prince Harry Have A Step-Sibling No One Knew About Until Now
Someone Else
Even though the couple got married and exchanged their vows in front of their loved ones, Prince Charles turned out to be somewhat different than the Prince Charming Diana had been looking for. It turned out that his heart had belonged to someone else at the time.
Someone Else
Called It Quits
Prince Charles first met Camilla Parker Bowles back in 1971. They started dating but suddenly broke up after spending several years together. They moved on with their own lives and married other people. However, there are fires you simply can’t put out.
Called It Quits
No Sulking
“There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded,” Princess Dianna said in 1995 while speaking with the BBC. Despite it being awkward, she didn’t sulk and moan. In fact, she chose the exact opposite.
No Sulking
Princess Of Wales
Instead, Diana decided to embrace her position as the Princess of Wales. She brought a brand-new spark to the family by immersing herself in plenty of charity work. She went on to become a pop-cultural icon. But that wasn’t the end of it.
Princess Of Wales
Doting Mother
Diana also made a name for herself by changing how she raised the royal children. She didn’t hand them over to relatives or nannies to be taken care of. She made sure to schedule her time around her sons. Whenever it was possible, she included them in events and even took them to school herself.
Doting Mother
Breaking Up
By the time the mid-’90s came around, the Royal Family was on the verge of crumbling into pieces. Charles and Diana separated before they eventually got a divorce. While this wasn’t a good look for them, it wasn’t even the worst of it.
Breaking Up
A Tragic Death
The car Diana was in crashed straight into a pillar in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris on August 31, 1997. She was being chased by paparazzi at the time. Unfortunately, she died from internal injuries not long after.
A Tragic Death
Everyone Heard
There was no one who wasn’t shocked to hear the news. Mourners began pouring into London and paying tribute to her. There were so many flowers outside her house that it could have been easily mistaken for a carpet.
Everyone Heard
Moving On
When the public funeral was over, the Royal Family had to move on with their lives. Things were simply not the same. However, what Charles did after that stunned everyone who heard about it. What could he have possibly done?
Moving On
Getting Back Together
The years went on, and in 2005 it happened. It came to light that Charles and Camilla were getting back together. Not only that, but they were planning on getting married too! This meant that William and Harry would have a new stepmother.
Getting Back Together
A New Start
While the public had been skeptical about someone being able to replace Diana, it was different for the Royal Family itself. They managed to pull it together. It was clear that Charles was happy in his new relationship, which made Harry and William happy as well.
A New Start
No Wicked Stepmom
“She’s not the wicked stepmother,” explained Harry in 2005, “William and I love her to bits.” Even though the public wasn’t keen on her at first, eventually, she was accepted. However, she wasn’t the only new member to join the family.
No Wicked Stepmom
Not Only Camilla
Everyone was so focused on Camilla joining the British Royal Family that they didn’t realize that she had two kids from her first marriage. One of them stepped into the spotlight eventually, but the other one kept to themselves.
Not Only Camilla
Tom Parker Bowles
Camilla’s son, Tom Parker Bowles, is a well-known writer and food critic. He’s written several books, starred on Masterchef, and even worked on Gordan Ramsay’s The F-Word. His sister isn’t as open as he is, however.
Tom Parker Bowles
Laura Lopes
Camilla’s daughter, Laura Lopes, did her best to stay out of the spotlight. Despite the fact that she’s been seen at Royal weddings and special occasions, she has a reason for keeping to herself as much as possible.
Laura Lopes
Just Kids
The siblings were only kids when Prince Charles married Diana. Seeing as they were kids of his former partner, they had to constantly deal with the media and paparazzi, even back then. This all took a toll on Laura and Tom.
Just Kids
The Pap
Normally, the paparazzi would wait outside their house in the hopes of getting a glimpse at the Parker Bowles family and snapping a few photos. They would follow their car around the city. This is rather similar to the way Diana died just a couple of years later. It didn’t take long for the family to become irritated with all the attention.
The Pap
Dealing With Bullies
“They’re bullies, half of these people, and they made you very angry,” Tom said when he was speaking 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.” However, Laura decided to deal with it differently.
Dealing With Bullies
Avoiding Attention
Due to her childhood experience, Laura withdrew from the spotlight instead of enjoying it. However, did that mean that she had to keep the Royal Family at a distance? Keep reading to find out.
Avoiding Attention
Won Them Over
After she married Charles, Camilla has said she never could have gotten to that point had it not been for her family. Even though the paparazzi chased 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 ‘true’ nature of royal relationships. For a while now, there has been talking about the tension between Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle. Since the latter joined the Royal Family, people have been saying there is friction between them.
True Nature
The Brothers
Throughout the entire ordeal, reporters have been desperately trying to dig up the truth. They managed to provide a better understanding of what was going on. It turns out that the root of it all seemed to be a disagreement between the brothers themselves.
The Brothers
At Odds
It looked like the Royal Family had some brotherly beef to deal with. They’ve always been very close despite living very different lives. William and Harry had a falling out, but what was it about in the first place?
At Odds
The Public Noticed
The thing that tipped off the public about trouble between the two brothers was a diversion from an old tradition. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wanted to go out on their own and leave behind the rest of the royals.
The Public Noticed
Kensington Palace
The newlyweds first moved into Kensington Palace. While there, Meghan got to spend her first year as a part of the Royal Family. She had the chance to adjust to the new life she had in the presence of vets who were able to explain everything to her. There was nothing unusual about that.
Kensington Palace
Nottingham Cottage
Meghan and Harry lived in Nottingham Cottage, a mere stone’s throw away from the Duke and Duchess of Kent, as well as Princess Eugenie. Meanwhile, William and Kate were living in a massive apartment across the grounds.
Nottingham Cottage
Moving Out
As the birth of their first child came closer and closer, Meghan and Harry decided it would be better for them to live “Not Cott”. They wanted to move into Frogmore Cottage at Windsor. It was much more accommodating and spacious than where they originally lived.
Moving Out
Renovating The Cottage
Immediately. renovations began on Nottingham Cottage. It only had 2 bedrooms and was Prince Harry’s bachelor pad before he married Meghan. Could there be more to this move than we initially thought?
Renovating The Cottage
Lingering Animosity
Even their marriage went through a major change as they had a child on the way. There was some iciness that didn’t melt away. One thing that made it difficult for the family was everyone telling Harry the same thing William did. It made the animosity grow even more.
Lingering Animosity
Time To Chat
Finally, the reason for the move was revealed. It was said there was tension among Windsors. It all began when Harry became involved with Meghan. William wanted to talk to Harry after he first met the woman who would later become his sister-in-law.
Time To Chat
Apprehensive
William clearly saw that Harry and Meghan were completely in love with each other. There was no doubt that they would soon get married, but William told his younger brother not to rush into things. He also spoke about his apprehension about the way they dove into this kind of 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 his best to explain his concerns in the most gentle way possible. However, this did nothing to stop Harry from becoming irritated about it.
Miffed
His Concerns
It turns out that the source was a royal court member. They went on to say, “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 disagreed with his older brother. At the time, Meghan already had to deal with the media, her difficult family, and all the public’s speculations about her. Harry knew he had to stand up for the woman he loved.
Defending Her
Her Own Family
We still don’t know the exact reason for the Royal Family’s coldness towards Meghan. Still, 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 has been a theory that the animosity towards Meghan stems from the fact that she is half black. However, some people believe that her reaction is due to her previously being an actress. Maybe they were having doubts about whether they were even dealing with the real Meghan.
Theories Abound
Despite Everything
It must have been difficult for them, but Prince Harry and Princess Meghan never wavered while they were in public. They always presented themselves as a united front and clearly adored each other. Despite all the concerns William had about his little brother, Meghan was just as much of a Royal Family member as the others were.
Despite Everything
His Fault
There are sources that claim that Harry was the one to blame here. “He will brook no criticism of Meghan,” a source said. “And he is so sensitive he often sees criticism or negativity where there isn’t any.”
His Fault
Protecting Her
One 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.” Diana was criticized by the press in the past about pretty much every little thing she did. Was it possible that Harry was trying to make up for his helplessness back then by protecting Meghan now?
Protecting Her
Another Reason
If it is true that the four already had tension between them, then it certainly didn’t help that the Queen chose Harry to be the Youth Ambassador to the Commonwealth. There are claims that it hurt William to be overlooked for the position. However, he did have the power to veto the appointment but he didn’t intervene.
Another Reason
Confirmation
A lot of royal fans would brush off the thought of conflict and simply blame the press for stirring up the drama. However, there was a time when the four were asked if they had ever gotten into disagreements. William was the one who broke the awkward silence by saying, “Oh yes.”
Confirmation
Tension
Both couples nervously laughed at that. Harry kept the smile on his face as they moved onto the next question, which was whether the feuds get resolved. “We don’t know,” he said. Despite having a humorous approach, it was obvious that the relationship between the brothers was strained.
Tension
The Duchesses
Due to the complex dynamic between Kate and Meghan, these old tensions only got worse. When Meghan finally became a part of the family, she probably hoped to make friends with the Duchess of Cambridge.
The Duchesses
Tight Schedule
At that time, Kate was pregnant with her and William’s third child, Louis. She apparently didn’t get the memo that she should guide her sister-in-law. As it was, she had a lot on her plate with her kids and royal duties. It’s no wonder that she had such a busy schedule. Meghan must have thought she got snubbed.
Tight Schedule
No Noble Blood
To this day, reporters are speculating if there was any real tension between the two of them. Did they really get along or did they hate each other? Despite the fact that one of them started off with a noble bloodline, they soon became two of the most visible members of the British Royal Family.
No Noble Blood
Meghan And Kate
The two sisters-in-law made their first official appearance on Christmas Day back in 2017. Kate and Meghan joined the Windsor family under very different circumstances. Even though they both don’t have royal blood, they do come from very different worlds.
Meghan And Kate
Privileged Background
Even though Kate wasn’t a member of the aristocracy, she still came from a wealthy family. Her parents owned a very successful party supply company. Not to mention, she also went to the prestigious University of St. Andrews, where she met Prince William.
Privileged Background
Getting Married
After they dated for years, William and Kate finally made the decision to get married in 2010. The year following “The Wedding of the Century,” Kate would earn the title Duchess of Cambridge. On the other hand, Meghan would also be getting married in 2011. Who did she marry then?
Getting Married
First Marriage
No, she wasn’t married to a prince just yet. In those days, she was still working on her acting career. She got married to Trevor Engelson, an actor-producer. Two years after this, they would be breaking up, around the same time her career took off.
First Marriage