King Charles III purchased a $3.8 million property situated next to Queen Camilla’s beloved vacation home after discovering that it was going to be transformed into a wedding venue.
The king used private funds to buy the Old Mill estate, which neighbors Camilla’s Ray Mill House getaway in Wiltshire, England, the Daily Mail reported Saturday.
An unnamed friend of Camilla’s claimed to the newspaper that Charles was concerned about safety risks because a possible buyer had plans to “maximize commercial use of the property as a short-term holiday rental and wedding venue.”
A second source said Charles, 76, was filled with “great anxiety” after learning last month that the home would become a venue for couples to tie the knot.
“Think of it — dozens of wedding guests carousing every weekend just the other side of her fence,” a third insider told the outlet.
Charles reportedly swooped in at the last minute to stop the sale to become the new owner of the Old Mill.
He plans on obtaining a “security-vetted tenant” who will ensure the property is put to “appropriate” use, according to the tabloid.
“The new arrangement is a pragmatic solution, being both a sound financial investment and a way of maintaining Her Majesty’s privacy, protection and continued enjoyment of her much-loved home, without any public funds being used,” a royal source said.
The insider added that Camilla, 77, is “grateful and relieved,” especially considering all the “additional stresses and anxieties” she has had to deal with this past year — likely referring to Charles’ cancer battle.
Friends told the Mail that the queen uses her vacation home as a place to escape and be herself.
“She has her horses, she walks her dogs and she loves spending time with her family,” one pal said, adding, “This business with her neighbor was frankly the last thing she needed.”
This isn’t the first time the Old Mill estate has caused a headache for the royal couple.
Phil Clayton, a property developer, purchased the home in 2018 and swiftly started major renovations that were allegedly a huge nuisance for the community.
To the disproval of Camilla’s security team, he converted a former garage into an apartment dubbed Pear Tree Loft, which he advertised on Airbnb and other rental websites.
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The apartment was just 200 feet from Camilla’s front door.
Clayton had also submitted numerous applications for several expansion plans, which Camilla protested with letters of objection printed on HRH-headed notepaper.
The queen had argued her safety fears, though she was overruled.
Friends of Camilla said the situation with the property “was becoming intolerable.”
Fortunately, securing the Old Mill estate has helped solidify Camilla’s future plans, as it is understood she will permanently live at Ray Mill rather than the palace if she outlives Charles.
Camilla, who married Charles in 2005, purchased the country cottage in 1996 — a year after her divorce from Andrew Parker Bowles.
Described as a 19th-century Italianate construction with 20th-century Neo-Georgian additions, the mansion is two stories and was the location of Camilla’s daughter Laura Lopes’ wedding reception in 2006.