Prince William And His Stepsister Used To Get In Nasty Fights. Here's Why

The British royal family attracts drama like magnets to metal. Sibling rivalries are a prevalent part of this tense dynamic, and Prince William has spent plenty of time feuding with his brother, Prince Harry. However, one royal quarrel the family's followers may be less familiar with or might have completely forgotten about was the gnarly dispute between William and his stepsister, Laura Lopes.

One might think that seeing their respective parents, King Charles III and Queen Camilla, get married in 2005 could have brought a sense of happiness or closeness to William and Lopes in their new blended family. However, Author Katie Nicholl argued the opposite in the 2010 book "Harry and William," stating William and Lopes went for each other's throats over who was at fault for breaking their families apart. "William and Laura used to have terrible fights over who was to blame for their broken homes," Nicholl wrote (Via Yahoo! Lifestyle). Per Nicholl, William took shots at Camilla for ruining Charles' relationship with his mother, Princess Diana. Lopes, on the other hand, blamed Charles for causing these wounds and subsequently ruining her life.

While Prince William and Laura Lopes' feud may not be as widely broadcast or discussed as the former's tragic feud with Prince Harry, their disagreements have resurfaced on multiple occasions. Still, Lopes seems to have developed a more friendly relationship with the royals. She was rumored to have been joining the royals for their 2024 Christmas festivities at Sandringham. She had also reportedly joined the family for their Christmas get-together a year prior. Lopes' daughter, Eliza Lopes, also notably served as a bridesmaid in William and Catherine, Princess of Wales' 2011 wedding. Despite her occasional involvement in royal affairs, Lopes has pushed to maintain a private existence compared to their ever-publicized lifestyle. 

It seems that Lopes' older brother and William's step-brother, Tom Parker Bowles, also possesses a wobbly dynamic with the royals. Bowles expressed his standing with the royal family in October 2024, stating he and his family merely fit in and associate with his step-family rather than truly acting as royals. "That's not to say myself and the children spend [time] running around palaces," Bowles told People. "I have my own job and the children have school. I haven't been to Christmas yet for various reasons." Although they keep things mostly civil, it seems the step-siblings still keep their distance.