Queen Camilla's Son Admitted She Hasn't Let Go Of This Relic From The Past

Queen Camilla may hold one of the most prestigious titles in the world, but that doesn't mean the tech she uses is always the most cutting edge. In fact, the cell phone the Queen Consort of the United Kingdom carries with her is positively ancient as far as technology goes. But according to her son, acclaimed food critic Tom Parker Bowles, there's probably a very practical reason for that.

During an interview with the lifestyle magazine Woman & Home, Bowles revealed that he and his family have a WhatsApp group, but Queen Camilla isn't a part of it, on account of the old Nokia phone she uses. "We do — my children, my sister and cousins — but my mum still uses an old-fashioned Nokia telephone, so [she] can't," Bowles said (via Hello!). "I think it's for security."

Bowles isn't just guessing here. According to The Times, details regarding the phones members of the royal family use tend to be kept under lock and key for reasons of national security. But that's not to say Queen Camilla is on her relic of a phone all that much to begin with. As Bowles told Woman & Home, he can barely get a hold of his mother on account of how busy she is, and has to rely on the news to find out what she's doing. "I ring my mother, she doesn't answer. I look on the television [and think], 'Ah! She's in Jersey,'" he said.

Given that Queen Camilla uses an old Nokia brick phone, it might be surprising for some to learn that her mother-in-law, the late Queen Elizabeth II, actually had her very own smartphone. More specifically, according to royal commentator Jonathan Sacerdoti on the "Royally Us" podcast (via Marie Claire), Elizabeth had a Samsung model that was heavily encrypted by the UK's MI6 intelligence agency. Sacerdoti claimed that Elizabeth would only answer her phone for two people: her daughter, Princess Anne, and her racing manager, John Warren.

In his 2022 book "Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait," former parliament member Gyles Brandreth offered even greater insight into Queen Elizabeth's relationship with technology. "She understood texting, though was rather defeated by apps," Brandreth wrote. "And she did not allow her grandchildren to bring their devices to the dining table, under any circumstances."

While her phone may not be as advanced as Queen Elizabeth's was, Queen Camilla is still streets ahead of her husband, King Charles III, in the technology department. According to The Telegraph, Charles doesn't have a cell phone at all. Instead, he lets his staff field his calls for him.