Britain's king and queen seem besotted with each other, but that doesn't mean they spend all their time together. In fact, it's quite the opposite!
The Surprising Reason Why King Charles and Camilla Have Separate Homes
Published on Apr. 22, 2025
The U.K.’s top royal couple recently celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary during an official trip to Italy and seem more loved-up than ever. How could they not? After a romance spanning five-plus decades and marriages to other people, these star-crossed lovers finally found their happily ever after. But the secret to their marriage may not be what you expect. Aside from the communication, trust and respect that marks all good marriages, there’s a surprising component that just may keep Charles and Camilla coming back to each other: living in separate homes, at least part of the time!
While this may seem counterintuitive to wedded bliss, a former household employee of the pair says that this less-is-more approach works well for them. Read on to find out how this unusual arrangement started, how much time they spend apart and where they each retreat when they want some alone time.
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Why do Charles and Camilla have separate homes?
First, because they owned these homes before they tied the knot—and kept them afterward. And second, because they are both free spirits. While Charles and Camilla’s official residence is Clarence House in London, just around the corner from Buckingham Palace, they each regularly spend time at their separate homes too. “Before Charles and Camilla got married, they agreed Camilla would keep her home,” revealed Jack Stooks, a former senior gardener at King Charles’s Highgrove House for more than two decades, in an interview with Metro. “The separate space was important for them both and their families. … They’re both independent people and don’t mind time apart.”
While this arrangement might sound strange for a married couple, it seems to make perfect sense in the royals’ case. “Camilla enjoys time with her many friends and family, and Charles values private work and creative time,” British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard told Fox News. “Spending time apart allows them both to follow their individual lifestyles—and enjoy their time together before and afterwards even more.”
Where do they each prefer to spend their time?
King Charles spends his spare time at Highgrove House in Gloucestershire, about two hours west of London, while Camilla regularly makes her way to Ray Mill House in Wiltshire, a 15-minute drive away. Charles bought his eight-bedroom Georgian mansion in 1980, a year before marrying Diana, and is especially fond of the gardens, which he personally takes care of. In a BBC interview in 2016, he described gardening as “the most therapeutic business” and revealed that plants always “had a profound effect on me.” Charles reportedly even talks to his trees and flowers—or, as he phrased it, “instructs them.” Visitors can check out the king’s gardening skills from April to October, when Highgrove (minus the private residence building) is open to visitors. Besides taking care of his plants, Charles is also in charge of Highgrove’s farm.
Camilla, on the other hand, bought her six-bedroom countryside home after divorcing her first husband, Andrew Parker Bowles, in 1995 and values it as an “escape from royal life.” As one of her friends told the Telegraph, “Ray Mill is the only place where she can literally and metaphorically kick off her shoes and spend time with family and friends in a really informal setting.” Stooks adds that the house holds “many memories of raising her family” and is a place for her to have “a laid-back weekend without prying eyes.”
The new queen reportedly spends at least a full week a year at Ray Mill and tries to escape there most weekends. To make sure she can continue to do so without having to worry about neighbors and the press, King Charles recently forked over $3.9 million to buy the house next door.
How much time do they spend apart?
While only the pair themselves know for sure, it seems that Charles and Camilla usually spend Monday through Friday together at Clarence House, in London, before going their separate ways most weekends. That is, unless they are entertaining guests or traveling for fun or work. They also work together at multiple official engagements every month, ranging from visiting community initiatives to meeting business leaders and politicians or simply cutting ribbons, even though they’ve cut down on their workload since Charles’s cancer diagnosis.
The bottom line: Though they might spend part of their lives separately and even have their own dogs, they continue to be out and about together. Recent multiday royal state visits took the pair to Italy (April 2025), Australia and Samoa (October 2024), and Normandy (June 2024).
Do they also have separate bedrooms in their shared homes?
According to Chard, they do have separate bedrooms at their main London residence, where they’ve lived since 2002. “They have sussed out the best sleeping arrangements,” she has said. “At Clarence House, they are privileged to have their own bedrooms as well as their shared bedroom.”
Is this unusual for royals?
Not at all. In fact, Charles and Camilla are in great company. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip apparently spent their whole marriage (73 years!) sleeping in separate bedrooms. According to Philip’s cousin Lady Pamela, it’s completely normal in the British upper class to have separate bedrooms. “You don’t want to be bothered with snoring or someone flinging a leg around,” she was quoted as saying in Sally Bedell Smith’s book Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch. “Then, when you are feeling cozy, you share your room sometimes. It is lovely to be able to choose.” King Charles and Princess Diana reportedly also slept in separate beds when they were married.
That being said, it seems the younger royals have abandoned this tradition. According to media reports, the future king and queen, Prince William and Princess Catherine, do have a joint bedroom in their primary residence, Adelaide Cottage.
Why trust us
Reader’s Digest has published hundreds of stories on the British royal family, providing a behind-the-scenes look at the fascinating facets of the monarchy. We regularly cover topics including the latest royal news, the history and meaning behind time-honored traditions, and the everyday quirks of everyone’s favorite family members, from Queen Elizabeth’s daily snack to Prince William’s confessions about his home life. We’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. For this piece, Astrid Hofer tapped her experience as a London-based journalist with more than 20 years of experience covering topics including the British royal family. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
Sources:
- Fox News: “King Charles, Queen Camilla’s unconventional bedroom arrangement is secret sauce to staying together: expert”
- Express: “King Charles and Queen Camilla’s unique sleeping arrangements revealed”
- Vanity Fair: “King Charles and Queen Camilla’s marriage thrives on friendship—and having their own bedrooms”
- The Telegraph: “Queen Consort to keep Wiltshire bolthole as an ‘escape from royal life'”
- Town & Country: “Inside Highgrove, King Charles and Queen Camilla’s country home”
- Marie Claire: “Why King Charles and Queen Camilla are spending a ‘lot of time apart’ ahead of their 20th wedding anniversary”
- Marie Claire: “King Charles just spent $3.9 million on the house next door to Queen Camilla’s private home”
- Woman & Home: “The Queen and Prince Philip slept in separate beds because of this unusual tradition”
- Express: “Kate Middleton and Prince William defy royal tradition of sleeping apart with 4-poster bed”
- Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch by Sally Bedell Smith
