Queen Camilla, 79, may have married into royalty and now she has her pick of exquisite royal residences to call home due to her husband King Charles III's inheritance, but she's also quietly kept her own private property, Ray Mill House, located in Wiltshire. With the UK weather at a turning point, people with places like Camilla's are advised to brace for floods.
The Met Office has predicted that heavy rain is on its way: "Heavy showers and thunderstorms are likely to develop, particularly across England and Wales, with a more organised area of thundery rain approaching southwestern areas later in the day." After a long period of drought, rain can be particularly dangerous because the ground is too dry to absorb it, leading to flash floods.
© Alamy Stock PhotoA Met Office briefing note from 2019 explains: "Projections show a trend towards wetter winters and drier summers on average in the UK, with regional differences, and some very high resolution climate modelling suggests that summers may tend to become drier overall but when it does rain it will fall in heavier bursts, which has implications for flash flooding."
Camilla's previous property heartache
The royal has previously admitted that she has struggled with flooding at her countryside abode, so she could be set for more issues. Camilla previously opened up about the heart-stopping moment her beloved estate was waterlogged. Chatting with the Military Wives Choir, she shared how Storm Bert in 2024 turned her home into a "seaside," admitting, "Where my house is was underwater. You've never seen anything like it... couldn't see anything apart from a lot of birds sailing about."
Despite the downside of flood risk, Ray Mill House remains the Queen’s ultimate sanctuary away from royal duties - much like King Charles’s own beloved retreat, Highgrove House, which is not too far away.
She purchased the property in 1994 for £850,000 following her split from her first husband, Andrew Parker Bowles. We have seen historic photographs and the gorgeous rural retreat boasts stables, an outdoor pool, and a fabulous terrace overlooking the grounds. Camilla has also chosen her private residence to be the backdrop for multiple birthday portraits and magazine covers, proving it's likely to be where she feels most comfortable. She even showcased her homegrown peaches in a snap captured by photographer Chris Jackson.
Why Camilla no longer owns Ray Mill House
According to the Daily Mail's Eden Confidential, the mother-of-two has already signed over her house, likely for inheritance reasons.
Land Registry documents show that the new registered owners are her son-in-law, Harry Lopes, and the financier Jake Irwin, who reportedly represent his wife, Queen Camilla's daughter Laura Lopes, and her son, Tom Parker Bowles, respectively.
