Queen Camilla’s son has revealed the struggles of growing up with the Queen.
Tom Parker Bowles has lifted the lid on the cooking of his mother, Queen Camilla, and the meals they ate at home while he was growing up.
Describing Camilla as a “good, basic cook”, he said she perfected slow-cooked scrambled eggs (always on the Aga) and roast chicken, but steered clear of all spice and curries.
Never following a recipe, she relied on “very, very simple food” while providing meals for Tom and his sister Laura at their home near Chippenham in Wiltshire.
Camilla’s son reveals the struggles of communicating with the Queen
Getty
Recalling a happy home which relied on local and seasonal food until Sainsbury’s arrived in 1980, leading him to Monster Munch crisps and Ice Magic chocolate sauce, he explained how his mother always favoured plain English food.
“She was a good cook,” he told The Independent.
“A good, basic cook. Roast chicken, salads and scrambled eggs – all that very English stuff.”
Parker Bowles revealed the struggles of growing up with Camilla’s cooking, as it involved no spices.
Tom Parker-Bowles is the 49-year-old son of Queen Camilla and ex-British Army officer Andrew Parker-BowlesPA
He added: “We had no spice whatsoever in our upbringing. We didn’t have curries.
“The only spice in the house might’ve been a tiny old dusty tin of curry powder for some disgusting coronation chicken occasionally and a bottle of old Tabasco for a Bloody Mary. That was the only spice.”
Parker Bowles also revealed that he struggles to contact his mother due to her outdated mobile phone.
In a new interview, the 49-year-old explained that the Queen uses an “old fashioned” Nokia, which doesn’t support WhatsApp. This means she is unable to join family group chats.
Tom Parker Bowles works as a food criticPA
“We do — my children, my sister and cousins,” Tom said when asked about family WhatsApp groups.
“But my mum still uses an old-fashioned Nokia telephone, so [she] can’t. I think it’s for security.”
The revelation sheds light on the communication challenges within the Royal Family, particularly as Queen Camilla, 77, takes on more responsibilities alongside King Charles.
Parker Bowles explained that he often struggles to reach his mother due to her busy schedule.
King Charles and Queen Camilla pictured during their recent royal tour in Samoa
Getty
“She’s working a lot harder,” he continued to tell Woman & Home. “She’s always worked quite hard, [so] it’s still the case of, I ring my mother, she doesn’t answer.”
To keep up with Queen Camilla’s activities, Parker Bowles resorts to watching the news. “I look on the television [and think], ‘Ah! She’s in Jersey,'” he said.
The Queen’s limited accessibility extends to family gatherings. Parker Bowles revealed that Camilla becomes “quite cross” if her grandchildren use their phones at the dinner table, instructing them to put the devices away.