Queen Camilla has quietly transferred ownership of her private
\nWiltshire residence, Ray Mill House, to members of her family,
\nending nearly three decades of personal association with the
\nproperty she bought after her divorce in the mid-1990s.<\/p>\n
Land registry records indicate that the house, purchased in 1996
\nfor \u00a3850,000, has been registered in the names of her son-in-law
\nHarry Lopes and financier Jake Irwin, who are understood to be
\nacting on behalf of the Queen\u2019s children, Laura Lopes and Tom
\nParker Bowles.<\/p>\n
The property, located in the village of Lacock, has long
\nfunctioned as a personal retreat for the Queen, offering a degree
\nof separation from public royal life. Camilla lived there for
\nseveral years following her divorce from Andrew Parker Bowles and
\nhas spoken warmly of the garden, describing gardening as \u201cthe best
\ntherapy in the world\u201d during an appearance at the Sandringham
\nFlower Show in 2025. She has also recalled spending considerable
\ntime tending vegetables at the house, joking that periods of
\nunusually dry weather had required extensive watering.<\/p>\n
The transfer of ownership is believed to reflect a long-standing
\narrangement within the royal couple\u2019s financial planning. When the
\nKing and Queen married, it was reportedly agreed that Camilla would
\nretain the house as a private space away from official royal
\nduties. The monarch himself has also taken steps to secure
\nneighbouring property, purchasing a \u00a33 million home along a private
\nlane adjacent to Ray Mill House using private funds last year.<\/p>\n
The change in ownership comes alongside minor planning activity
\nrelating to the property. The Queen has applied to Wiltshire
\nCouncil for permission to remove a cypress tree from the grounds,
\nciting concerns that the tree is deteriorating and restricting
\nlight to younger plants nearby. Because the house lies within a
\ndesignated conservation area, permission is required before any
\nsuch work can be carried out.<\/p>\n