Prince William’s stepsister Laura Lopes will be joining the Royal Family for their Christmas celebrations at Sandringham this year, marking her second consecutive festive season with the family.
The gathering is set to be the largest in recent years, with Prince William himself revealing there will be 45 attendees at the Norfolk estate.
“We’ll be in Norfolk, at Sandringham. We’ll be 45 for Christmas. It won’t be quiet, it will be noisy,” the Prince of Wales shared during a festive gathering in Wiltshire for the families of the 1st Battalion Mercian Regiment.
The celebrations come as the family rallies together amid health concerns for both King Charles and Princess Kate.
Prince William revealed there will be 45 attendees at the Norfolk estate
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Laura Lopes, 46, is the youngest of Queen Camilla’s two children from her first marriage to Andrew Parker Bowles.
An art curator by profession, Lopes studied Art History with Marketing at Oxford Brookes University before establishing the fine art gallery Eleven in 2005.
That same year, her mother’s marriage to King Charles transformed her life, making her and her elder brother Tom Parker Bowles, 49, step-siblings to Princes William and Harry.
Like her royal stepbrother William, Laura is a parent of three children and shares his passion for art.
The relationship between William and Laura wasn’t always smooth sailing, according to royal author Katie Nicholl’s 2010 book “Harry and William”.
The pair reportedly engaged in “terrible fights” over their parents’ relationships.
“William would blame Camilla for all the hurt she had caused his mother [Princess Diana], which would send Laura into a rage,” Nicholl wrote.
Laura would reportedly respond forcefully, with Nicholl noting: “Laura was not having any of it. She would take a hard line and fire back at William, ‘Your father has ruined my life’.”
Prince William’s stepsister Laura Lopes will be joining the Royal Family for their Christmas celebrations at Sandringham this year
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However, Laura married chartered accountant Harry Lopes in 2006, with both Prince William and Prince Harry attending the ceremony.
Her husband, a former Calvin Klein model, comes from aristocratic roots and is set to inherit Gnaton Hall in Devon and Skelpick Estate in the Scottish Highlands.
The couple’s children have become increasingly involved in royal events, suggesting improved family relations over time.
Their daughter Eliza served as a bridesmaid at William and Kate’s 2011 wedding, while twins Gus and Louis were Pages of Honour at King Charles and Queen Camilla’s Coronation.
