Why Queen Camilla and King Charles Spend Weekends Apart in Separate Royal Homes
Royal experts have explained why King Charles and Queen Camilla often spend weekends apart, and it's not because of marriage troubles.
King Charles and Queen Camilla's relationship is not just one of the most talked-about royal romances—it has been picked apart, questioned, and debated at every turn. Yet, after enduring years of relentless scrutiny, they have undoubtedly become one of the Royal Family's most solid couples. Still, the pair prefer to spend their weekends apart, and according to experts, there is a very deliberate reason behind it.
The topic recently came up on Daily Mail's Palace Confidential, where royal experts Robert Hardman and Rebecca English tackled some of the biggest questions people have about the monarchy. Among them was one that has long puzzled royal watchers: why do King Charles and Queen Camilla so often choose to spend their weekends away from each other?
According to the experts, this arrangement has been in place since the couple tied the knot in 2005. Camilla was keen to hold on to Ray Mill House in Wiltshire—the home she bought after her first marriage ended—and keep it as her private retreat. Since then, she has regularly spent her weekends there while the King stays in Highgrove or elsewhere.
English explained that there is really nothing unusual about it. The arrangement works because Charles and Camilla were already used to spending long stretches apart before they got married. She also noted, “They live quite independent lives, and I don't think it affects their relationship at all.”
The expert continued, “[Ray Mill] is a real bolthole for her. It's very informal. She has the children over. She has the grandchildren over, whereas the King can potter around his gardens doing his dry stone walling at Highgrove. He can do his own things.”
Hardman, who spent years travelling with the then-Prince Charles as a royal reporter, agreed. He noted that Ray Mill House gives Camilla and her family a chance to step away from the pressures of royal life, serving as a place where they can leave the formalities behind and simply enjoy time together.
“Her grandchildren need to have somewhere that they feel is theirs, where they can run around,” he began. “If her grandchildren want to run around in Windsor or at the Palace, it's like, 'Oh, don't knock that vase over, you can't kick a ball in there!' When they're at Granny's house, it's Granny's house,” Hardman added.
Moreover, English recalled a phone interview she had with Camilla during the COVID-19 lockdown. She remembered hearing dogs barking and horses nearby as the then-Duchess of Cornwall casually tried to quiet the noise-amoment that showed just how relaxed and homely Ray Mill House feels compared to the formality of palace life.
