Queen Camilla’s son Tom Parker Bowles is set for a major first as he looks forward to his first Christmas alongside the Royal Family at the Sandringham estate.
The food critic, 49, has revealed that he was personally asked by his mother if he would like to join the festivities at the Norfolk-based estate this month – especially after a few years of “hell” for both King Charles and Camilla.
Speaking of the family dynamics, Tom shared: “My mum said, ‘I’d love you to come, I haven’t had Christmas with you for a long time’.”
Although he revealed that his plans to spend Christmas with the royals are not set in stone, he shared that the family is making arrangements to attend the traditional festivities at Sandringham.
Tom shares two teenage children, 17-year-old Lola and 14-year-old Freddy, with his ex-wife, Sara Buys.
He is said to have typically spent Christmas with his children and their mother, meaning that if he does attend Sandringham, this year would be very different.
Reflecting on their usual holiday routine, he said: “For the past 15 years, it has been: I go back to my ex-wife’s house, sit in my tracksuit bottoms, go to the pub while the beef’s in, then try to get my children to watch The Wild Geese. Classic. So this would be a bit different.”
As reported by HELLO!, Tom also shared that he had no idea which royals can be expected at Sandringham this year.
He said: “I genuinely know nothing about it. But I know there’s turkey and sprouts and church. And I have to bring a suit and a dinner jacket.”
Referring to King Charles’s cancer diagnosis earlier this year and his mother’s recent battle with pneumonia, Tom added: “It has been a hell of a two years for them.
“The older you get, the more conscious you become of mortality, especially with illnesses and the rest of it.”
Much like Tom, Camilla’s daughter Laura Lopes and her three children – Eliza, 16, and 14-year-old twins Gus and Louis – are also expected to join the family at Sandringham this year.
