Royal Gardener Offers Rare Peek Inside Charles and Camilla’s Private — and How They Make It Work
A peek inside their private world shows Camilla keeping things social while Charles just can’t seem to switch off from work.
When they are away from the public eye, life for King Charles and Queen Camilla looks a lot more relaxed than you would expect. At their private homes, like Highgrove, Birkhall, Balmoral, and Ray Mill House, they can finally drop the formalities and just be themselves. But apparently, they do not spend that time the same way. Former head gardener Jack Stooks says Camilla loves keeping things social, often enjoying time with friends, while Charles has a hard time fully switching off and tends to stay caught up in work even at home.
Stooks said to Smooth Spins (via Marie Claire), “I think Camilla is quite social. She's got a lot of her friends and her family that she likes to see and spends a lot of time with her sister.” The head gardener described Queen Camilla as naturally social, noting that she often spends her time at home hosting or catching up with friends and family. “She's quite a social character in that sense. Whenever you see her at events, she's very sociable with the people she's with,” he added.
Camilla has her own countryside escape, and it is the Ray Mill House in Wiltshire. It has been hers for decades now. She, in a total power move, bought the place back in 1994 after her divorce from her first husband, turning it into her own personal retreat at the time. Over the years, it has really become her safe space, somewhere she can unwind, host close friends, and just enjoy a bit of normal life away from everything.
Stooks further explained that the King and the Queen have different priorities. Camilla is all about hosting, unwinding, and enjoying a slower pace at home. On the other hand, for Charles, work comes first before anything else. He is naturally warm and friendly, but his sense of duty has always come first, something shaped by how he was raised. Stooks said, “The King is warm and friendly, and he is a lovable person, but I think he puts a lot of his work first.”
Camilla is more likely to be reading or out walking the dogs, while Charles is still deep in paperwork. That work-first mindset often follows him home, getting caught up in paperwork, sometimes even running late for dinner or working late into the night with his red boxes. “He has that work ethic. I wouldn’t say he’s less sociable, but he’s aware of the amount of work he’s trying to do for the country,” Stooks added.
However, the former royal staff has shared that even when guests are not staying over at Birkhall or Ray Mill House, they enjoy each other’s company thoroughly. Stooks revealed, “They're very comfortable in each other's company, and they sort of seem to fit so perfectly together. He obviously dotes on her, and she dotes on him.”
According to their latest plans, the royal couple is all set to travel to the United States by the end of April 2026. US President Donald Trump officially made the announcement on Truth Social, writing, “Melania and I are pleased to announce that Their Majesties, the King and Queen of the United Kingdom, will visit the United States for a Historic State Visit from April 27-30th, which will include a beautiful Banquet Dinner at the White House on the evening of April 28th."
