The home where the Queen Consort will find refuge today
>
During a grueling week for the Queen Consort as she continues to support her husband King Charles III and mourn the loss of her mother-in-law, the Queen, she has returned to her mansion Ray Mill House – a place where she is known for loving and to consider her true ‘home’.
Camilla, 75, bought the property in 1996 for £850,000, with the proceeds of her divorce from Andrew Parker Bowles, and it’s a welcome change from Highgrove, which is just 15 minutes’ drive away.
The Queen Consort traveled to the listed building in Wiltshire on Wednesday afternoon.
It is believed that Camilla will continue to live in Ray Mill House, which is not an official part of the royal estate, as she has for years, after her husband’s accession to the throne.
The Queen Consort is known to feel most “at home” in the country six-bedroom stack, with insiders previously saying she can “kick off her shoes,” enjoy a G&T, and walk around in her robe on the terrain.
Ray Mill has provided an informal meeting point where she can invite friends and family, especially her grandchildren, away from the royal circus.
After a grueling week for the Queen Consort as she continues to support her husband King Charles III and mourn the loss of her mother-in-law, the Queen, she has returned to her mansion Ray Mill House – a place where she is known for loving and to consider her true ‘home’
Camilla bought the property in 1996 for £850,000, with the proceeds of her divorce from Andrew Parker Bowles, and it’s a welcome change from Highgrove, which is just 15 minutes’ drive away.
She lived there between 1996 and 2003 and has maintained it as a nationwide base as needed.
Since her 2005 marriage, Camilla has sensibly insisted on maintaining a separate home, stripped of royal servants and the inevitable palate that her husband everywhere attracts.
Owning it undoubtedly contributed to her peace of mind and to the success of her marriage.
The Duchess of Cornwall uses her historic property to get away from her husband Prince Charles’ Highgrove House estate, which is open to the public in the summer months and receives over 30,000 visitors a year.
A source previously told Express columnist Adam Helliker: “At Ray Mill, she can sit down with a large G&T, kick off her shoes and look at Coronation Street, which Charles detests.
“She doesn’t have to worry about how the place looks either – Charles is so picky about cleanliness, leaving her things everywhere. She doesn’t have to clean up her pillows all the time.’
And another said to Sebastien Shakespeare, ‘That house is where she can cook scrambled eggs in her dressing gown and be one of the people she loves without a bit of ceremony or anyone watching her. It’s home.’
Insiders have previously revealed how Camilla thinks she can treat the property as her ‘home’ and will likely continue to spend time there as Queen Consort (pictured in the gardens earlier this year)
Meanwhile, she has even hosted memorable family gatherings at the property, including her daughter Laura’s wedding reception for Harry Lopes in 2006.
Camilla, who is also mother to Tom Parker Bowles, is known for loving being a grandmother and spending time away from the royal spotlight with her on-site grandchildren.
Camilla is a grandmother of five children, including Eliza (12) and Gus and Louis (10), the children of Camilla’s daughter Laura and her husband Harry.
Meanwhile, she is also grandmother to Tom’s children Lola (12) and Freddy (10).
She also has three step-grandchildren – Prince William’s sons George, 5, and Louis, 7 months, and daughter Charlotte, 3.
Her grandchildren are largely kept out of the public spotlight and it seems like she would like to continue spending time with them in her Ray Mill House home as she takes on the role of Queen Consort.
Earlier this year, in a moment that indicated her deep affection for the property, the then Duchess of Cambridge photographed Camilla at home for a special edition of Country Life to mark her 75th birthday.
The cover image shows a relaxed and smiling Queen Consort, dressed in a blue and white floral dress and vest with minimal jewelry (as well as her trusty Fitbit fitness tracker). An avid gardener, she sits, smiling and relaxed, with a trug filled with pelargoniums.
A second portrait, also by Kate, is an informal shot of Camilla walking through forget-me-nots in the gardens.
Meanwhile, a behind-the-scenes shot of the photo shoot revealed that the then-Duchess of Cambridge took the photo on the lawn of Camilla’s home, with the land pile in the background.
Camilla shares a love of gardening with her husband. She recently told Homes and Gardens magazine how much she enjoyed planting, weeding and just being creative.
She said, ‘It’s just one of the most relaxing things anyone can do. Go into the garden, get to work.’
The Queen Consort is known to feel most “at home” in the rural six-bedroom stack, with insiders previously saying she can “kick off her shoes,” enjoy a G&T, and walk around in her robe at the property
Although the Queen Consort has rarely given a peek inside the property, she had photos taken at Wiltshire’s home to celebrate her 75th birthday
Camilla is understood to have loved the freedom the property affords her, and the opportunity it gives her to spend time with her children and grandchildren (pictured left and right, in Ray Mill’s gardens)
The day spent at the Wiltshire estate this week will have been a welcome reprieve for the Queen as she prepares for a busy weekend of engagements ahead of the Queen’s state funeral on Monday.
The queen consort is said to have suffered a broken toe while performing duties at the king’s side.
Camilla suffered the injury prior to the Queen’s death and is in “quite pain” according to The Daily Telegraph.
A source told the newspaper that she has just “got started” supporting the king during an emotionally and physically grueling week.
“It’s unfortunate timing to say the least, but she’s an absolute go-getter,” the source told the newspaper.
The PA news agency approached the king’s spokesman for comment on his wife’s condition and was told, “We will not comment on medical conditions.”
Later today, the royal couple will visit Wales – the king’s first visit since he took the throne.
The King and Camilla will attend a prayer and reflection service at Llandaff Cathedral before receiving condolences at the Welsh Parliament, the Senedd.
He will later hold a private audience with Welsh Prime Minister Mark Drakeford and the presiding officer at Cardiff Castle, although a protest against the monarchy is expected outside.
Charles will then attend a reception hosted by the Welsh Government, before returning to Buckingham Palace in the evening to receive faith leaders in the Bow Room.