She was three years old, clutching a pink wiggly worm toy throughout one of the most-watched weddings in history — and now, fifteen years on, Eliza Lopes is all grown up.
New photographs have emerged of Queen Camilla enjoying a relaxed shopping trip in the Scottish village of Ballater with her sister Annabel Elliot, 77, daughter Laura Lopes, 48, and granddaughter Eliza, 18. The outing coincided with King Charles and Queen Camilla beginning their summer break at nearby Balmoral Castle.
A very different bridal party
It is one of the most charming footnotes in royal history. When the Prince and Princess of Wales married at Westminster Abbey on 29 April 2011, little Eliza Lopes — daughter of Laura Lopes and granddaughter of then-Duchess of Cornwall — was among the four young bridesmaids. Aged just three, she was photographed waving at crowds from the car as she made her way from the Goring Hotel alongside Kate's sister Pippa Middleton.
But it was what happened next that captured the nation's hearts. The occasion quickly became overwhelming for the tiny tot, and it was Prince Harry who stepped in to save the day — producing a pink wiggly worm toy from his pocket to keep the children entertained in the carriage. Eliza was so taken with it that she simply refused to let go, clutching the toy throughout the ceremony and even into the official portraits at Buckingham Palace.
"Did you see the wiggly worm? That was the funniest thing. I can't believe no one has spotted it. I was so worried about Eliza. She is such a lovely little thing and looked so gorgeous in her dress, but it was a very big occasion for a child of her age." — Queen Camilla
Camilla later recalled the moment with evident delight: "Harry pulled this wiggly worm out of his pocket in the carriage to keep them amused. Eliza loved it so much that she wouldn't let go. She was holding onto my finger but in her other hand was this worm."
Towers over grandmother
The young woman photographed in Ballater this week is a world away from that wide-eyed three-year-old. Eliza, who has largely stayed out of the public eye since the wedding, cut a strikingly stylish figure on the family outing — and notably towered over her grandmother, who is considered one of the taller women of the royal family at five feet nine inches tall.
Eliza dressed in low-slung 90s-style jeans held up with a brown leather belt, paired with a button-up black shirt and a bright red padded bomber jacket featuring a vintage gold print. She finished the look with forest-green trainers, sunglasses, and her dark blonde hair pulled back in a casual ponytail — a far cry from the Nicki Macfarlane puff-sleeve dress she wore as a bridesmaid, which had her name and the wedding date secretly embroidered on the inner lining.
Queen Camilla, meanwhile, kept things low-key in blue jeans, a navy V-neck jumper and a green jacket with a contrasting corduroy collar. The outing appeared to be a successful one — the group emerged from Scottish cashmere boutiques and bookshops laden with bags.
A summer of royal family gatherings
The Ballater trip is a timely reminder of just how central Scotland remains to the royal family's summer calendar. The Prince and Princess of Wales are also expected to spend time in the area, making use of their own private cottage on the Balmoral estate — Tam-Na-Ghar — which is believed to have been gifted to Prince William by the Queen Mother in 2002.
For Eliza Lopes, this rare public appearance offered a glimpse of the young woman she has quietly become — no worm required this time, but every bit as memorable.
