Andrew Henry Parker Bowles Briefly Dated Princess Anne - Meet Camilla Queen Consort's First Husband

Andrew Henry Parker Bowles is a retired British Army officer. However, the 82-year-old military veteran is most well-known as Camilla Queen Consort's first husband, with whom he shares two adult children.

Andrew Henry Parker Bowles is a military veteran who worked in the military for decades. He earned numerous achievements while serving in the army, but there's one thing that most people know the 82-year-old for.

He's primarily well-known as the former husband of Camilla Queen Consort, who he met in the mid-60s before they eventually tied the knot about ten years later. Let's look inside their marriage and discover some facts about him.

Main Facts about Andrew

Andrew Henry Parker Bowles was born in December 1939 to a family with royal connections as Parker Bowles's parents were friends with the Queen Mother. In 1953, Parker Bowles reportedly served as a page at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth.

In terms of his educational history and background, he attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. After leaving the academy, he served in the military for over three decades retiring in 1995. Parker Bowles climbed the ranks over the years in the military and eventually became a brigadier. The former army officer was also awarded the Queen's Commendation for Bravery in Zimbabwe.

Parker Bowles Briefly Dated Princess Anne

Andrew Henry Parker Bowles may be known as the first husband of the Queen Consort; however, she's not the only female linked to the royal family with whom he has had a relationship. Parker Bowles also started dating Princess Anne in June 1970.

Their relationship began after Parker Bowles was invited to Windsor to celebrate with the royal family the Royal Ascot that year. At the time, he was a handsome graduate of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. He was also working as a lieutenant in the Blues and Royals Regiment, which was previously called the Royal Horse Guards.

One of the things that drew the military man and Princess Anne to each other was a shared passion. Parker Bowles and Princess Anne both loved horse racing. The pair loved spending time together and enjoyed each other's company. However, despite their bond, they would never become husband and wife because Parker Bowles was a Catholic.

Beginning of Relationships with Camilla, Queen Consort

Andrew Henry Parker Bowles's first marriage is one of the most well-known. Camilla, Queen Consort, and Parker Bowles first met in 1965. Parker Bowles and the Queen Consort were introduced to each other by Parker Bowles's younger brother Simon Humphrey Parker Bowles.

The former army officer and the Queen Consort didn't have a straightforward relationship. The couple dated on and off for several years. According to Parker Bowles's cousin John Bowes Lyon, the couple's fathers took matters into their own hands when the two took time to commit to each other.

Bowes Lyon said the pair's engagement was published in The Times by the Queen Consort's father, Bruce Shand, and the military veteran's dad Derek Parker Bowles. King Charles III's biographer Sally Bedell Smith wrote that Parker Bowles became pressured to commit to his partner in 1973 after the couple dated for nearly seven years.

Parker Bowles eventually proposed to the Queen Consort, and Bowes Lyon revealed that she was "very much in love" with his cousin Parker Bowles. He also mentioned that the Queen Consort's parents were "very keen" that the army officer should marry her. The couple tied the knot during a Catholic ceremony on July 4, 1973, at the Guards Chapel in London.

The couple's relationship was marred with infidelity even before they married, with Parker Bowles reportedly frequently cheating with the Queen Consort's close friends. Camilla. Her husband's infidelity continued even after the pair became husband and wife. Parker Bowles wasn't the only one who had an affair while married. The Queen Consort also went on to restart her relationship with King Charles III, who was also married to Princess Diana at the time.

Andrew Henry Parker Bowles Is a Father of Two

During their years together, Andrew Henry Parker Bowles and Camilla Queen Consort became parents to two children, a daughter and a son. The former spouses became parents for the first time in 1874, a year after they tied the knot. They welcomed their firstborn, a son they named Tom Parker Bowles, on December 18, 1974. King Charles III became not only his stepfather but also his godfather.

He has created a successful career over the years in the media industry. The 47-year-old is a successful food writer who has worked as a restaurant critic for The Mail on Sundays and a contributor to Esquire UK. The military veteran and the Queen Consort's eldest child is also often seen appearing as a judge in competitions and culinary reality shows.

The 47-year-old is more than just a food writer, however. He is also an author and has shared his passion for food by writing several cookbooks. His first book, "E is for Eating: An Alphabet of Greed," was published in 2004, and his latest release was in 2021 with the cookbook "Fortnum & Mason: Time for Tea."

Regarding his personal life, he married Sara Buys, a fashion editor, in September 2005, but unfortunately, the former spouses have since split. However, they welcomed two kids together before they went their separate ways. The pair had their daughter named Lola nearly two years after they married in October 2007. Almost three years later, they welcomed their only son Freddy in February 2010.

About four years after Parker Bowles and the Queen Consort became parents for the first time, they became a family of four after the arrival of their second child. Their daughter Laura Lopes was born on January 1, 1978. Growing up, she attended Catholic boarding school and later went to Oxford Brookes University.

When it comes to her career, Lopes is an art curator. She has experience managing the Space Gallery in London. Lopes has since become an entrepreneur after she co-founded a fine art gallery in Belgravia called Eleven in 2005.

The 44-year-old also has a husband and children. She has been married to former Calvin Klein model Harry Lopes since 2006, and her husband is now a chartered accountant. The husband and wife share three children together, a daughter and twin boys; their eldest, Eliza, was born in January 2008. They welcomed their twins Louis and Gus in December 2009, nearly two years after Eliza's birth.

Divorce Proceedings

Parker Bowles and Camilla, Queen Consort's marriage ended in January 1995. They announced their divorce in a statement and expressed that it was "a private matter." The pair didn't reveal their reason for their separation in the statement. However, the former spouses did state that they had always followed "different interests" throughout the time they were married and led "completely separate lives" in recent years.

Andrew Got Married for the Second Time

Andrew Henry Parker Bowles married the second time in 1996, a year after his divorce from his first wife. Parker Bowles and his second wife, Rosemary Pitman, were together for over a decade.

Sadly, the military veteran's wife died in January 2010 after "a long battle with cancer." She was 69 years old and reportedly died about a week after Parker Bowles's daughter welcomed her twin boys. Parker Bowles's stepson Henry Pitman said his mother fought "extremely hard" before her demise.

Andrew Had a Positive COVID Result in 2020

Andrew Henry Parker Bowles had a positive COVID result in early 2020. He reportedly picked up the virus at the Cheltenham Festival, a four-day event he attended a few weeks before he tested positive. Parker Bowles spoke about his positive COVID result during an interview with the Daily Telegraph. He expressed:

"I probably got it on the Wednesday or Friday I attended Cheltenham. I've felt pretty bloody awful with it. It's better in the mornings and gets worse as the day goes on."

The military veteran further mentioned that he had "a bad cough" and was very lethargic. He also expressed that his sleeping pattern had changed, and he slept twice as long as he usually did.