A short biography for Laura Lopes (nee Parker Bowles)
Birth, Education and Occupation
Laura was born in 1978 to
Andrew and Camilla Parker Bowles. Her step-parents are Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales (though her mother’s second marriage) and Rosemary Parker Bowles (through her father’s second marriage). Her elder brother is
Tom Parker Bowles and her step-brothers are Princes William and Harry.
Two pictures from Laura's childhood (credit to
LaMinka):
Andrew, Camilla, Tom & Laura ;
Camilla, Tom & Laura
Laura studied at St Mary’s, a Roman Catholic convent school in Dorset. After St Mary’s, Laura took a gap year and went backpacking through South America. Following her return to England, Laura studied History at the Oxford Brookes University. Currently, Laura manages a London Art Gallery and the Duchess of Cornwall is a frequent visitor there.
Laura maintains good relationships with her step-brothers, Princes William and Harry. During her wedding, both were there to celebrate their step-sister's wedding. Both
Laura and her brother Tom are raised as Roman Catholic, like their father.
Personal Life and Marriage
On may 6, 2006
Laura married Harry Lopes in
St. Cyriac’s Anglican Church. During the wedding,
Laura wore the
Cubbit (Shand) tiara that her mother wore for her wedding to Andrew Parker Bowles, and the
earrings Camilla wore for the wedding to the Prince of Wales.
The wedding was attended by
closest friends and relatives, total of 400 people. Among them were her
mother and step-father,
father and step-mother, her
brother with his wife, her step-brothers,
Prince William and
Prince Harry,
Kate Middleton, Prince William’s girlfriend at the time, Lord and Lady Howe and
Lady Sarah Chatto.
Harry Lopes, who studied at the Eton collage, is the grandson of the
2nd Baron Toborough and the
2nd Baron Astor of Hever. He is set to inherit Gnaton Hall, Devonshire, as well as the 3000-acre Skelpick estate in Highlands, Scotland.
Harry and Laura's wedding thread
Children
In July 2007, Laura and Harry announced to the News of the World that they are expecting their first child, anticipated for January 2008. Laura’s brother, Tom, and his wife Sara are also expecting their first child in September of October 2007.
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